Eyes Like That
by Wolfsblood
Summary: Riddick Promised Jack he'd come back for her before he left New Mecca. Four years later, Jack's grown up and has her own problems with someone after her. Then Riddick comes back to further complicate things. Eventual JR
1. Nightmares

Yo! Wolf here! I decided that it would be really fun to do a Riddick story for some strange reason. So, This is the first chapter and I hope ya like it! R&R, if ya don't I won't update! Isn't that simple? (Evil laugh)

Disclaimer: Urgh...I don't own any form of Pitch Black or TCOR...sadly

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**Ch.1 Nightmares**

The black sky was cloudless and streaks of purple light danced between the stars. Bright multi colored planets shined and brought faint light down upon the tan buildings. The wind was blowing, softly ruffling anything it passed. It howled and picked up orange and red leaves, carrying them past a short balcony with a lone figure standing on it.

Tanned fingers brushed back flowing strands of dark brunette hair and then moved to the stone railing. Amber eyes seemed to search and look beyond the sky for something, or someone.

Jack leaned against the railing, an oversized, white t-shirt hanging off her shoulders and a pair of black boxer's underneath. She knew she wasn't supposed to be up this late, but she hadn't been able to sleep. Well, since _he_ left.

She had stayed with Imam on New Mecca for the last four years, suppressing any anger or sadness she felt at the loss of her idol. She had been a good little girl for Imam and obeyed his wishes to act polite, get good grades and otherwise be a good daughter. On the outside, she liked being remotely normal, hanging out with other people and running around town. On the inside she was torn, wishing she was free and unbound by this society, and that she was with _him._

She loved her adopted father no doubt about it, but there was just some things that he wouldn't understand. Ever since she got on this planet she had been training. On T-2 she had watched _his_ every movement closely, memorizing them and replaying it in her mind. She brought back that knowledge with her, and ever since the day she was abandoned by _him_ she was preparing herself for the inevitable.

Everyday she would leave school property to go to a gym and kick some sorry guy's ass who didn't know it was coming. If she ever heard a catcall or whistle, the person was on their back in 3 seconds flat, some sort of blade pressed up to their throat. Jack didn't play.

There was just something odd about the last year she had been here. She had honed her senses, just like _he_ told her to do, she often sensed another presence around her, but couldn't pick it up. Strange men in dark cloaks often came to Imam's door and she knew they weren't here on friendly terms. Something had started already, something bad, and she was getting impatient.

Jack gave a sigh and turned, gliding into the safety of her room. She closed the glass doors behind her and cast her eyes down on the floor. Climbing into her bed, she rustled the sheets a little and pulled them tightly around her body. She feared closing eyes for her nightmares would return where she was vulnerable and unprotected. Nonetheless, she let her lids shut as she was cast into darkness, her nightmares resurfacing….

_The girl looked up into silver pools staring down at her, unfeeling. A strong, protective hand was on her shaved head and an arm pulling her close to a larger body. Cold rain was hitting hard and she buried her head in his chest. "Don't leave me."_

_The man's mouth formed a hard line, "Those damn Mercs won't leave me alone, you understand Jack?" _

_She nodded, tears stinging her eyes, but mixing with the cool rain. She looked up at the silver pools still staring down at her. "You better promise to come back for me Riddick. If you don't… I'll hunt you down and kill you myself, fuckin' honest!" Her eyebrows furrowed into a glare, but then soon turned into a child's saddened eyes. Salty droplets once again spilling from her eyes as she hugged him closer to her._

_Riddick clenched his jaw, unsure as if he really wanted to leave her. They had formed a special bond and he felt like her protector. His eyes glanced under the shelter where Imam stood, his eyes cast downward. He swallowed and knew he had to leave her. His shinning eyes found jacks and he let out a low growl, almost a whisper. "Watch Your language kid." He reached from around his neck and pulled off his glinting silver dog tags. He put the oversized chain over Jack's head and adjusted them on her chest. "I'll be back for you, I promise. It'll take some time though so don't get too happy, I'll be expecting those back." A small smile graced his lips as Jack grinned up at him. "Don't worry kid; just take care of Holy Man until I get back." His deep voice vibrated through his chest and Jack could feel the vibrations, she was so close. "Remember to listen, smell, see, feel and taste. Always know your surroundings."_

"_Yes sir." Jack let her tears pour out without blockage, hoping that he wouldn't be able to tell. She held onto him, not wanting to ever let go, but knowing she had too._

"_That's my girl." He planted a kiss on the top of her fuzzy head and turned to leave her. He slid out of her grasp and stalked back to his ship, never looking back. If he had looked back, he would have never left._

_Jack watched as her lifeline was cut from her and the rain never hurt so much in her life, not even on T-2._

* * *

The morning sunlight shone through the curtains and onto Jack's face. "Riddick," she groaned, trying to escape the light by rolling to her other side. Aggravated with the sunlight, her eyes fluttered open and she moved her satin pillow over her face. She growled and threw it against the wall, sitting up. 

Hearing Imam's voice calling her name, she walked over and opened her door slightly to yell back, "I'm coming!" She grunted as she threw on some khakis and a green tank top. She pulled out the silver chain from under her shirt to reveal Riddick's dog tags. She strapped a band with holstered knives to her thy and a silver band covering up a tattoo on her arm. Brushing her hair and sweeping it up into a ponytail, she ran down the steps and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, father." She said, opening up the fridge to grab something to drink.

Imam spun around, a light colored apron tied around his waist. "You're late again young one, and look at what you're wearing!" he scolded as usual. Setting down a plate full of food and a glass, he looked over through the window. "It's getting light you should be on your way. Be careful not to wake my wife and-"

Jack cut him off before grabbing the bacon and toast off of the plate, "- and Ziza, I gotcha." She wolfed down the food and in a matter of seconds the glass was empty as well, Jack out of the door.

It was still slightly dark outside , even with the dark orange sun, but Jack had become accustomed to moving in the dark. It was part of her daily training ritual; she rather liked how useful it was. She adjusted the large cameo colored bag on her shoulder that held her school books. None of the merchants were out yet, but soon the streets would be filled with them, trading and bartering to anyone who passed by. But not now, not at this hour of silence and desertedness, only Jack was out. She often wondered if everyone else took a different route together, but she cast those thoughts aside as she neared a large, round building.

Jack entered the building, absentmindedly fingering the dog tags that hung down to her chest. They weren't army tags she didn't think, there was no code number, no symbols. The only thing that was printed on them was **Richard B. Riddick**, in bold lettering. She would hold them close but feared to read the name, for she wasn't sure if he would really keep his promise.

Other classmates and students walked past her in the hallway, but she paid them no attention. She had made one friend in all the four years, she just didn't trust easily anymore.

Leaning against the smooth plaster on the wall, her eyes met those of a taller man with shoulder length black hair. His skin was also tanned from the almost endless sun on the planet. Baggy blue jeans hung off his waist and a black t-shirt with a dragon on the back adorned his upper torso. He had piercing, dark blue eyes that seemed to hold back a smirk of their own. Jack gave a small smirk, "Am I late?"

The man smiled, his eyes lighting up when he saw her. "Tell me Jack, are you ever on time?" He turned so that she was next to him as they started walking down the hall. "I see Imam still can't get you to wear dresses like all the other girls."

Jack shrugged, "He knows I would rather die then wear anything remotely close to _that_." She pointed to one of her girl classmates who was running down the hall, just arriving in the building.

The girl was wearing sheet like material that flowed behind her, the top of the dress was long-sleeved and fabric wrapped around her neck.

Jack figured it was way to damn hot for all that, and it was a dress. No way in hell would Jack wear something like that to a hot class inside with no air conditioning.

The man sighed as people were running down the hall trying to be less late then they already were. "Anything eventful happen yesterday after I left?"

Jack shook her head, "Unfortunately no. Ziza was trying to imitate me and got hurt again. I told her not to, but she doesn't listen. We shouldn't have let her watch us train, Trey." She growled, getting mad at herself for allowing Ziza to watch.

"Don't blame yourself." Trey said, giving Jack a reassuring rub on the back. His eyes wandered over as he almost passed his classroom, "Gotta run kid," Trey said, waving goodbye with two fingers.

"Same time as usual!" She yelled, before he disappeared into a classroom in the corner. She sighed as she entered her own classroom. No one was paying attention to her late entrance except the teacher. She rolled her eyes when the teacher started to scold her.

"Stop right there! I've got a bone to pick with you Miss! Do you have any sense of time at all? You are 15 minutes late, EVERYDAY! I don't understand it!" The teacher kept going with mass amounts of insults and attacks on how lazy Jack was.

Jack had gone to her seat and was currently looking out the window and ignoring her teacher's rants. She sighed when the personal attack was finally over and she moved on to the whole class.

What felt like days later, school finally ended and Jack went to the side of the building to meet Trey.

He was leaning up against the wall, backpack in one hand and a pocket knife in the other. "Race ya to the training ground." A small smirk present on his face as he watched Jack's eyes awaken fully.

"Don't take too long." Jack mused, cracking her neck and biting her lip. It was like an imaginary whistle went off and the two weren't visible anymore to the on looking pair of eyes in the shadows.

* * *

Riddick sat at the command seat looking out into the star littered space. He was on a brand new ship, and for once he wasn't a prisoner. He had been hiding out on a deserted planet, mercs still after him. After he killed all the mercs who were after him, he'd take anything that was on them and left the rest to the wild. It was all in self defense, but he still got what he wanted. Over the last couple years, he hadn't had many visitors strangely enough, not that he was complaining. So he decided it was time he left. 

He took one of the ships that the mercs had traveled on and took it to the nearest planet. Of course he disarmed it of any transmitters first, but those were just details. After trading in the ship, with a little bit of his other acquired earnings he had enough to buy his own small ship.

Currently, he had it on autopilot and was watching the twinkling stars, thinking of his own little star named Jack that he left on New Mecca four years ago. It was still a long way to New Mecca, but he _would_ get there.


	2. Mercs

Yo, I'm back. The first chapter went over well and I'm pleased. So like I promised, here's the next installment. Thanks for all the reviews, it really helps me out to hear from you guys! So R&R and I'll get another one up, same rules apply as last chapter! (haha it's like a game) You don't review…I don't update! (Evil laugh again)

Disclaimer: I still don't own Pitch Black or TCOR…not that I'm not trying….

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Ch.2 Mercs **

The sky was a tinted orange now, the sun setting. A small girl ran with her father holding onto her small hands. Her curly brown hair bounced behind her and her eyes lit up as she neared a shaded alleyway.

"Come." She whispered as her feet came to a stop and she didn't see any signs of life forms. Yet, she knew they were there.

Out of the shadows leaped two figures at the same exact time. One came into view on the ground, on top of the other, the sound of two metal plates clinking together, and a blade flashing as new light hit it. The person looked up as they heard a sharp intake of breath. "Ziza! Oh no…" Jack cursed as she moved off of a dirt covered Trey, her dog tags making noise once again.

Ziza smiled and looked up at her father. Once she saw the angry expression that was cast on his face, she found comfort in the brown dirt underneath her.

"I am very disappointed in you." Imam's face was stone cold, unfeeling and dark. "I told you the day we arrived I would have none of it. _He_ would be ashamed." He let out a shaky breath, looking down at Ziza and then up at a shivering Jack. "Not one word; let's go." Imam had already started to leave, not really caring if Jack was following or not. He knew it was a harsh blow, using Riddick against her, but it needed to be said.

Jack stood looking at the ground, her body shaking almost violently. _Shit._ She knew this would happen eventually, but Imam just had to drag Riddick into it. He knew how Jack felt about bringing him up, and she knew it was her weakness. She felt an arm on her shoulder and knew it was Trey telling her to be strong. Lifting her head, she nodded at her companion and trailed behind Imam, Ziza turning and giving her a puzzled look. This only meant one thing, she was screwed.

* * *

A loud knock sounded on the wooden door to Jack's room. It was a continuous knock, with a memorized pattern asking for entrance. Jack was in no mood to answer it. 

"Go away." She growled, opening the glass doors to the balcony. Whenever she felt like she needed an outlet, the balcony was her solstice. She knew why she sought it out particularly, and really found it useful. It was so she could watch the night skies as she wished her problems away, crying out for a friend…for Riddick.

The wooden door opened and Imam stepped through, sensing her foul mood and careful to keep his distance. _I'm so sorry…._He regretted what he had said, but he just didn't want her to get hurt. Jack just wouldn't understand that some people actually cared about her wellbeing.

"I am sorry my child. I said a little more than I needed to." He gave a short pause to see a reaction, but none came, so he continued. "I know you need an outlet for your anger, but please choose a different hobby. Anything from praying to roaming around the marketplace, anything! But please child, I don't ever want to see you get hurt. You are part of this family, I would never forgive myself. _He_ also would never forgive me if something was to happen to you."

Jack swallowed, her senses were dulled and her eyes stung with unshed tears. Her hands unconsciously reached for the metal pieces around her neck, rubbing the pads of her fingers across their surfaces. "Riddick doesn't even care. He would have been back by now if he did!" She felt her heart ripping out of her chest and her world was falling apart in front of her eyes. She had never actually said it before, but she had thought it and now she felt the pain those words held. "He…never cared…not once." Her hands were now stained with tears she had quickly tried to wipe away. _I hate him so much. _She tried to convince herself that it was true, but she knew it was a lie.

Imam felt an immense sadness for the girl. He could tell it was ripping her into pieces, every word. "That's not true Jack. It's not like Mr. Riddick to break promises." He let out a sad smile and glided over to where Jack was. He put a hand on her shoulder and felt his cloth robes being ruined by salty tears as Jack hugged him. Imam rubbed her back but thought he saw something move underneath the balcony. "I want you back here immediately after school, no exceptions." He guided her back inside the room and locked her balcony doors. He drew the curtains and gave a worried smile, sitting her down on her bed. "Goodnight child."

Jack looked down at the satin sheets she sat on, "Goodnight Holy Man." She noticed Imam's quiet laugh at the name before the door was sealed behind him, closing her in the room.

Jack lifted up her pant leg, slowly unhooking the knife holster around her thigh. She slid the silver band from around her arm, her black tattoo of a snake twisting itself in knots around her arm. She walked over to her dresser, sighing sadly as she hid them beneath her folded clothes. She knew Imam didn't want her getting hurt, but it was for self-protection. If only he knew what she had been noticing lately, he would have agreed to let her train.

Often She found herself trying not to stare at the strangely cast shadows between buildings. There was no guessing or hunches, she _knew_ someone was there. But even when they were so close she could smell their foul intentions, she didn't show any fear. She wanted so bad to turn around and press one of her many blades against their throat, but then they would know her power. Jack wanted the element of surprise to be in her favor.

Unbeknownst to even to her, that moment would come all too soon.

* * *

A hooded figure leaned against the tan stonewall that separated them from inside Imam's home. They had been stalking the child inside for quite some time now, and were getting impatient. He looked for anyway to get up onto the balcony, but the only option was to climb. Shrugging, he pulled out a portable screen and touched it to get in connection with his boss. "You sure this is the kid? She doesn't look like much." He grunted after he got confirmation and cleared his throat, "I'll make it quick." 

Supposedly the girl was connected to an escaped convict worth more than his weight in credits. There were so many bounty's on him he would be crazy to be seen anywhere near a city. Unfortunately, they were uncertain of his exact location. There had been guesses on where he might be, but they didn't want to take that chance without knowing. This was the perfect way to find him, getting the answers they wanted would be easy. According to reports around four years ago, the convict was supposed to be dead. According to his boss now, he wasn't. The girl was the one who said he was dead, so naturally this was their chance.

The man discarded his hood and let down his pack. He opened it up and pulled out a rope with a hook on the end. Swinging it around a couple times, he threw it forward and upward, latching onto the stone balcony.

Jack was inside brushing her hair when she heard a clinking noise outside. _Fuck, not good._ Here eyes immediately flashed and she went back to her drawer, whipping out two knives. She faded into the shadows of the room.

A rope was tied to a metal loop in the ceiling, connecting the curtains on the sides of her bed. Two stone pillars with flat tops were in front and Jack saw her opening.

She grabbed onto the rope, pulling herself up and swinging onto the top of one of the pillars. She almost lost her balanced, but squatted down in a gargoyle position. Jack dare not breathe as she heard the breaking of glass, and saw a black figure come through the doorway with a large gun.

Before the silhouette of a man had time to look up, Jack had jumped from the stationary pillar and down on top of him. The gun had slid across the floor, releasing it in his initial shock. Cold eyes glowed as he felt one blade on his throat, and the other on the fabric of his pants, too close to something he wanted to keep. He whimpered and Jack silenced him with further pressing of her blades.

Inside Jack was shaking with mixed emotions, most related to anger, fear and shock. She didn't even want to think what could have happened to her new family. Jack didn't think she would be able to handle that. She tried to stay focused on the man beneath her, hardening her facial expression and tensing her muscles. "I will ask you a question, and you will answer my question and only my question. Am I clear?" She once again pressed her point, literally.

The man nodded quickly, swallowing hard and taking in slow shallow breaths.

Jack felt better knowing she was now in control of the situation. "Good, first question. Why have you been stalking me?"

"I'm on a job." He muttered and was soon rewarded with a cut in the fabric of his pants. His breathing increased pace and his eyes were frantic. "I just want some fuckin' credits! I was sent to get information out of you, ok! But if you didn't comply…"

Jack knew very well what would have happened…she would have kicked his ass! But if that didn't work, she most likely would end up imprisoned and tortured into saying something. _Information about what, who?_ Unfortunately she had an idea. "Information about what?"

The man had calmed down slightly; knowing that if he kept talking he might live. His boss would be pissed no doubt, but his life was on the line…fuck his boss. "Some convict, my boss wouldn't tell me who."

Jack's insides froze and anger filled her entire being. Not even thinking about asking who his boss was, she shook slightly and punched the guy in his stomach. Stupid move on Jack's part, but it was too late to take it back. _I'm an idiot._

A small spray of blood came up as the man coughed and was out like a light.

Jack moved off of him slowly, her body still shaking. They were after Riddick, and they knew she was linked to him, but most importantly they knew he was alive. "Fuck." Jack cursed as she thought of all the possible ways they could have found out. "Damn Mercs."

She kicked the body on the ground in frustration, quickly realizing that he would wake up eventually. She debated whether to leave to get Imam or not then decided it would be too dangerous to leave the guy on the floor. She opened the wooden door and glanced back at the body. "Imam!" she yelled downstairs praying Imam would hurry up. _What to do…what to do._

Imam heard a thud come from upstairs, but shrugged it off figuring it to be his clumsy teenager. Continuing to sit in his study and read, he thought all the noises to be over. He was wrong when he heard a yell from upstairs, interrupting his reading. Sighing, he closed his book and moved out of the study. He walked up the stairs and over to Jack's room. Opening the door he opened his mouth to tell her how loud she was being, but all words were lost as he stared at the scene in front of him. "Jack…"

Jack's head immediately was bowed and her eyes were cast on the floor. "He was the first, but not the last. There will be more next time. I fear…for your safety."

Imam sighed walking into the room and closing the door behind him. "What did I just get done telling you!" His hands were waving around frantically and he was mumbling stuff about Allah.

Jack felt like screaming, "Do you not see the damn gun that was in his hands!" _What the hell is his problem!_ She motioned to the large gun still on the floor. "That reminds me, I might need that later." She muttered, walking over and picking it up.

"No foul language and no guns!" Imam said frantic to keep is adoptive daughter from a path of violence and destruction. She had been defending herself though…but still! He sighed, trying to calm down, "Who is he and what does he want with us?" His face seemed to have fallen as he saw the broken glass doors. How could he have not heard that?

"Somehow he knows Riddick is alive." She took a short pause to let Imam gather his thoughts before she continued. "Also, they think I know where he is. Which you won't tell me! I think now more than ever I _should_ at least know where he is." Her mouth was in a hard line and her eyes were fierce.

Imam Sighed, "Let us discuss this later." His eyes fell upon the dark black tattoo on Jack's arm even in the semi lit room it was easily seen. "And we'll discuss the mutilating of your body, which I specifically forbade you to do!" He almost lost his temper, but he knew there were more important matters at hand. "Now we need to dispose of him." His nose scrunched up as he bent down to inspect the body. "I have to admit, you really did a number on him."

Jack rolled her eyes at the tattoo, but had to give a small smile at that last comment, she knew inside he was proud. "Let me take care of it." She went through his pockets, pulling out his wallet and a communicator. Knowing it must have a tracking system she laid it on the floor and smashed it, grinding her heel into the screen. "There, that fixes it." She slung the body over her shoulder with a huff and opened the broken glass doors to the balcony. Looking back at Imam she gave a sad smile, "That should be the last of them for a little while. No worries." She knew it was a lie, but she didn't want Imam to worry. She threw the body over then climbed down the rope that hung from the stone railing. She cursed at how heavy he was the whole way down.

"Be careful Jack." Imam frowned and exited the room as his worst fears were slowly becoming real. He thought back to her earlier comments on his safety and he closed his eyes wishing all the pain away. Slowly, images of the night Riddick left were replaying in his mind. He saw the rain beat down on the two people who seemed to be in the center of everything, nothing else existed. A lone tear rolled down Imam's cheek as he remembered the sadness that was resurfacing in Jack. Opening his eyes, he muttered into emptiness, "No one is safe."

* * *

Jack had placed the body almost outside of the city. It was a long trek, but she made it within an hour or so. Once laying the body down against a building wall, she took out a spray can out of her pocket and spray painted a red X on the man's groin area. She had to smile at her handiwork. _Now he won't even think of coming back._

Sometimes she and Trey would go run around vandalizing and spray painting graffiti on different walls. Another thing Imam wouldn't be pleased with.

* * *

On her way back to the house, she found the guys bag discarded in the corner by her balcony. She rummaged through it, pulling out ropes, water bottles, some granola bars, cheese sticks, guns and knives. She questioned his selection of food, but other than that he had some nice equipment. 

Jack knew that any attacks wouldn't happen for a while now, but she was still on edge. She sat on the edge of the balcony and leaned her back up against the side wall; the cold stone giving her goose bumps.

Her fingers traced the outline of words that were inscribed on the dog tags that hung loosely around her neck. It was the only thing she had left to remind her of Riddick, and she always made sure it was close. It was her comfort, her protection, more so than any of her knives or new found guns. She would die holding those tags before ever forgetting how much he meant to her.

Watching the night sky as she had done so many nights before, she sat there each time still watching and waiting. She fell asleep on her balcony that night, the same nightmares, and the same ache for a small ray of hope to shine down on her and bring Riddick with it.

* * *

There were only a few more days to go before Riddick would be in New Mecca. It had taken forever to get this far, but like hell was he going into Cryo. So, this is where he was, alone and pissed off at the time it was taking to get there. 

He was rummaging through the fridge, trying to find some food, but only finding beer. _Why in hell did I buy this much alcohol? Oh yea…to pass by the time._ Grunting, he finally pulled out a bottle of beer and an apple.

He tried not to focus on what would happen, but it was continually eating away at him. He had a strange feeling that something wasn't right. _The sooner I get to New Mecca, the better. _


	3. A Little Too Sweet

Yo, Wolf here! Nice to hear from everyone. Some of you have been looking foreword to the end of this chapter, and let me tell you it just gets more fun from now on. Next chapter Trey and Riddick aren't hitting it off too well, it's going to be very interesting. So keep up with the R&R, go easy on me, and I'll give you what you want! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything…damn.

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Ch.3 A little too sweet**

Within the next few days, Jack figured something was wrong. Her friend Trey seemed to be over compensating for something. There was no way he was being this nice for no reason at all. Sure she had been a little detached and on edge, but still she wondered why he was being so damn nice.

Trey had offered to take Jack out to lunch, and there was no way in hell Jack was going to turn down a meal she didn't have to pay for. So here she was, sneaking off school property and following Trey to a popular café.

They were now at a table near the back of the Café where it was more difficult to see them. As Jack sat there, she noticed he seemed sort of nervous and distracted. She rubbed her temples, trying to calm down her surfacing headache. He was rambling, and she was getting tired of it. "Trey!"

Trey stopped in mid sentence, his eyebrows rose not noticing that he had been ranting. "What's up Jack?"

She sighed glad to have gotten his attention. "Have you been listening to yourself? You're rambling, you've been taking me out to lunch everyday and you've been sickeningly sweet. What the fuck is going on?" She had to control her emotions; she was seriously worried about him.

The man across the table sighed, a small frown apparent on his face. "I'm sorry Jack. After the other night…you just seemed like you needed some cheering up. You ok?"

Jack now wore a half smile on her face, inside she was laughing hysterically. So all this time he was worried about her, and she thought he was the one to worry over. Oh the irony. She couldn't contain herself and let out a small laugh, laughing harder when Trey's face turned extremely confused. "I'm fine Trey."

A sigh of relief came out of Trey as he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding in. He smiled when he saw Jack a lot more relaxed than earlier. He took a sip of water out of his glass that was to his left. Once the glass was away from his lips, his expression had changed to utter seriousness. "I do know something happened that night though, I'm not stupid Jack. So spill it."

Jack cursed as she had thought she was off the hook. "There's no bullshitting you." She frowned as she saw the smirk behind Trey's blue eyes again. "Someone's after me and they'll do anything and everything to get me. I'm connected to someone they want, well I…don't know anymore if I am or not." She seemed to take interest in her dog tags again, playing with them and biting her bottom lip.

He wasn't shocked at what he heard. Somehow he knew she was different, special in an odd way. Trey watched her finger the metal object and found his eyes mesmerized by the patterns she was making. He knew even if he asked she wouldn't tell him, so he didn't press it. His eyes ran up the chain, her neck and found their way back to her hazy eyes. He was unaware when his hand grasped her free one that was resting on the table. "We'll figure something out Jack, I promise."

Once Jack heard her least favorite words and the end of his sentence, she froze. She looked at their intertwined fingers and frowned as her nightmares came flooding back. They were memories…but were more appropriately named nightmares. She could almost feel the warmth of Riddick's large hand on her head and his body pressed up to hers. The words he said to her then and every night after ran through her mind like racecars with no finish line. A small cry escaped her throat as she felt her heart ripping open all over again.

Slowly she was drawn back to the present, her hand still in Treys. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. She was the only one who knew…promises meant shit.

* * *

During those few days, another force was at work. The merc that Jack had left had awoken the day after in extreme pain, and extremely scared. The minute he woke up and saw the red X painted near his favorite body part, he passed out again. Yea, he was a pussy and he knew it, but he had needed the credits.

Two days later and lost as hell, one of his comrades had found him at a pub about 7 miles away from where he was supposed to be. He explained most of his encounter with the teen to his buddy, leaving out some of the more gruesome details. He was kindly escorted back to the ship and got a promotion…well at least he wished it had gone that way.

His 'buddy' had knocked him out _again _and he was carelessly dragged onto the ship. Later that evening, he was imprisoned until his boss felt like dealing with him.

"Damn." The man cursed as he was thrown into the cargo bay of the ship. He fell back into a bunch of boxes, tripping over them and landing on his ass.

The guard laughed at him, liking the fact that he was an idiot _and_ good entertainment. "You just be a good little boy Max, well until the boss decides to come in here and skin your ass himself." He smirked, pushing the button for the door to close.

Max sighed in defeat, and rested his head against the wall behind him. This was embarrassing to say the least. _So what if a little girl kicked my ass? She had mad skills! And what did I do…sit there and take it like a little bitch._ _God I hate my life._

The screen in the top corner flashed on and Max's attention was soon focused on it alone. His boss's face appeared on the screen, looking extremely pissed off. "Guess who pussy."

Max dare not say anything; he was already in enough shit as it was. Hell, everyone knew that he was the new kid in the group, yet they still seemed to pick him to bitch at.

"I've been informed on your failure, and I'm not pleased in the least bit. You've proved to be useless in that field and now we as a group are in deep shit. So I've decided to play nice and give you a new assignment. You will be recruiting someone for me, someone _very_ important to the success of this capture. This someone goes by the name of Toombs and can be found on B-6. Get cleaned up and on the job. You're lucky I'm not shooting your ass just yet."

The screen went blank and Max sighed and relaxed, thankful for a second chance. He wouldn't fail this time; no way in hell was he going to screw this up.

* * *

Jack sighed, sitting atop the balcony railing as she had done the nights before. The sun was just setting and a purple hue covered the sky with the darkened sun barely peeking through its haze.

She shivered, tugging on her shirt and rolling up into a ball from the cooling temperature. Her head rested against the cool stone and her senses were at their peak. She could feel the sudden changes in the air around her and hear shuffling of feet from merchants packing up their shops. Closing her eyes she focused on smell. An earthy smell, it was subtle and soft, but it was there. Wait…she smelled something else that was starting to overpower the other. It smelled fresh, like a spring mist mixed in with something else…a human scent.

Jack tensed up, her hands traveling under her sleeve and clutching onto a holstered blade. Her breath was caught in her throat and her movements were slow and animal like as she climbed from her spot. Like the serpent that was branded on her arm, she slid back near the still broken glass of her doors.

A head popped up from over the railing of the balcony, and scared Jack shitless in the process. She had thrown the blade and the person had a fresh cut now on the side of their face, almost having her blade permanently stuck in their face.

"Holy hell Jack!" Trey had a tight grip on the stone railing and he was shaking slightly. His dark blue eyes were wide and stared at a half dressed Jack.

"Trey, you scared the fuck out of me!" Jack moved to the railing and hoisted Trey up and over to her side. "I could have killed you!"

"And you almost did." He pointed this out by wiping the dripping blood off of his cheek. "Sorry I scared you."

Jack fell back, sitting on the hard ground. "Did I not just get through telling you someone was after me! Way to go Trey! By the way, how the hell did you get up here?" Jack let out a tired sigh as her heart pounded in her ears. _I almost killed him! What the hell had he been thinking?_

Trey rubbed the back of his neck, "Please, like I don't know how to climb." He gave a goofy little grin and sat down next to Jack. He was in his clothes from earlier and felt awkward with Jack next to him in Boxers and a shirt, not even sure if she was wearing a bra. He tried to keep his face from turning pink and turned away so he wasn't looking at her.

"Fuck Trey, what the hell are you doing here?" Jack asked, really wanting to ask where all his common sense went.

Trey swallowed, knowing Jack would surely be pissed with his answer. He didn't care though, let her and all the parts of hell she brought with her rain down on him with eternal furry, screw it. "You were attacked the other night, after your earlier comments, that was made apparent to me. So…I decided to come by and check things out…" He paused, turning his head back to look at her. "I had to make sure you were safe."

Jack stared at her friend in utter disbelief. That was the sweetest, yet most fucked up thing she had heard in all her four years here. This guy was a great friend, but he just wasn't getting it. She had to smile at his attempt though. She played with the chain around her neck again, not even looking up at Trey when she spoke, "You're such a dumbass." She laughed, leaning into him so their bodies were touching. "You really don't want to get mixed up in this, you know."

The boy grew tense at first at the sudden contact, but soon relaxed into the comforting position. He swallowed and leaned his head back against the wall, looking at the girl next to him. "I think I'll take my chances."

* * *

Later that night, Riddick had arrived in New Mecca so glad to be off that damned ship. He had "borrowed" a merc's cloak and easily landed his ship without anyone recognizing him. All he had to do was slip some credits in the greedy little man's hands and the parking part was done. No questions asked of course.

But right now he was sitting in a large chair, inside Imam's study. Looking at the clock, it was close to 2:30 am. He hadn't been here very long. His eyes flashed as he heard someone coming down the stairs. He didn't move, staying hidden in the darkness of the room.

His heart jumped into his throat as the person stood at the end of the stairs. His eyes roamed around the slim yet filled out figure with long hair. He saw the boxers and shirt, forcing him to hold in a chuckle. She wasn't facing him, so he couldn't see her face, but it didn't matter. He knew it was Jack. The dog tags still around her neck caught his attention and he felt an ache in his chest. _Damn kid, you really got to me over the years._

Jack stood there frozen at the bottom of the steps. She had been on her way to get a glass of water, but something just wasn't right. She closed her eyes, letting her senses taking control. She focused on the scent and soon her eyes flashed open and she looked directly into the study. "Riddick."

She couldn't see it, but Riddick had a small smile plastered on his face as she said his name. She had done what he told her to and honed her senses. _Good girl. _"Good morning princess."


	4. Riddick's Back

Yo! Glad to hear from everyone, even some new faces in the crowd! (not literally, don't give me that look!) I was happy to see that you liked the last chapter. So thank you to all of you and keep up the reviews! R&R! Much love -Wolf

P.S.- I can't spell, so sue me. I don't care if I spelled a total of 2 words wrong, guess. I'll have you know that I'm not an English teacher. I keep getting these people that tell me every single word I spell wrong. I know I screw up a lot! You don't need to tell me what I already know!If you guys want, I can go through and take months trying to revise each sentence by myself. But guess what, that means the chapter will be month's apart. If I need to clarify, fine. If you think something could have been better played out, fine. If you read anything that you like, or are iterested to find out what happens next, fine.But if I spell something wrong, and it offends you that much, _sue me_.

Ok, enough with the ranting...

**

* * *

Ch.4 Riddick's Back **

Riddick's voice was like music to Jack's ears. Her whole body wanted to collapse and she wanted nothing more than to run to him and break down crying. But somehow she just couldn't. She saw his silver pools for eyes illuminated in the darkness and she had to smile. "How the hell do I get eyes like that?"

Riddick didn't even notice when he had stood up and moved in the doorway of the study. He couldn't hold himself back from moving closer to her, his body was loosing control. He smirked at her question, remembering it perfectly from before. She was still the same Jack, but even more of a firecracker, and he loved it. "Gotta kill a few people."

Jack sighed as the memories came flooding back. It was just like before on T-2, and she liked before. She found the strength to take a few steps foreword, inching closer to the tall shadow of a man named Riddick. "'Kay, I can do that."

Riddick licked his lips and moved noiselessly almost past Jack. He leaned his head down right next to her ear, "Then you got to get sent to a slam, where they tell you you'll never see daylight again. You dig up a doctor, and you pay him 20 menthol Kools to do a surgical shine job on your eyeballs." She was so close to him now, it was hard to control the pounding in his ears. _Fuck._

Jack's eyes had closed when she felt the warm breath against her ear, giving her Goosebumps all over her body. She moved quickly and stealthily behind Riddick watching him closely. His eyes were following her and she loved the way they would start glowing when he was curious at what she was doing. She pulled out a knife from her arm holster, thrusting it foreword, aiming right at Riddick's spine. She saw the alarm flash in his eyes as he easily turned and caught her wrist. "So you can see who's sneaking up on you in the dark?" She asked, raising an arched eyebrow. Their first bit of contact in four years and Jack shivered at his touch. His hands were so warm and he had a firm grasp, reminding her of the power he held.

He wasn't expecting Jack to pull that on him, he was definitely surprised. Her last lines did make him smile though; just hearing her voice had made everything better already. His hand slid up her wrist to her hand, taking the knife from her with his other hand and slipping it into his back pocket. His fingers seemed to trace along the lines in her palm, memorizing their patterns and making sure she was real. He kept his eyes on hers knowing it made her go crazy inside to have him look at her like that. "Exactly."

Jack took a deep breath, here senses overrun with his wonderful scent that she had missed. She had so many questions for him, starting off with where the hell he was for the last four years! Sure she was still slightly angry, but right now it didn't matter. He was here, he kept his promise, and that was all that mattered. All of a sudden she felt whole again. Yea right, Jack was pissed. She snaked her arms up and around his neck, laying her head against his chest. "I've missed you…" taking in a deep breath, she pushed him away from her. She saw a flash of surprise in his eyes, but her own remained fierce. "You asshole."

Riddick could feel the tension in the air increase triple fold. He watched her lean against the railing and his eyes traced the curves on her body. _Shit Jack, stop making things hard._ He closed his eyes and took in her scent, not knowing how he survived without her for those long years. "C'mon Jack, play nice."

"I think I've played nice long enough, Riddick!" She couldn't get the fact out of her mind that he had left her without _anything,_ to tell her he was alright. Now all of a sudden he thinks he can make everything better by suddenly showing up after four fucking years. Jack didn't think so. "What the fuck did you think I've been doing all this time? Sure as hell not sitting around, crying over you."

Riddick knew she was lying, he could tell easily. He contorted his face into a look of pain, "Oh that hurt Jack, you know I love you."He kissed the air just to fuck with her, and smirked when he saw how pissed off she was. _I wasn't joking kid._

Jack flipped him off, "I know you can see this Riddick so don't pretend you can't." She balled her hands up into fists, moving closer to him and pounding them down on his chest. "I hate you, you know that right?"

Riddick pulled her into him, pressing her body up against his. "I know." Smirking as her hands were now flat on his chest, he moved them so her arms were around his neck. He heard her growl as she looked up at him with conflicted eyes. _You know you like it Jack, don't fight it_.

He kissed her on the top of her head like he had done right before he left. The only differences were that he was back and she was no longer bald. Actually this time she had a full head of hair that reached down to the small of her back, and was in long waves that tickled his skin. "You've grown up on me."

Jack bit her bottom lip trying to decide if that was a compliment or not. She knew she had grown up, it was obvious. She rolled her eyes, and shook her head. _Of course the first thing he would notice is that I've grown boobs and an ass, yep that's typical Riddick_. "You like?" She purposely pressed her body up against him so he could feel the knife holsters on her body.

_Damn Jack, I like a lot. _"Yea, you grew up alright, but those toys have got to go." He was serious though, she better not even think about fighting anyone anymore, especially with those play knives. He was surprised when he felt her fingers start to trace the outlines of his face and the goggles around his neck. He moved slightly at her cool touch but closed his eyes, enjoying the calming sensation he was getting.

"I think you need to let me decide what I will, and will not play with." Jack smirked, almost laughing while putting a hand on his hip. Pulling her fingers away from his face, she noticed it was basically the same except when she traced over his lips. This time, she could tell they were upturned in a smile. _You turned into a damn softie. What the hell happened to you?_

"You think you're ready to play with the big boys?" Riddick wanted to teach her a lesson she would never forget, but he knew once he started he wouldn't be able to stop. The kid was still sarcastic as hell, and even though wouldn't admit it; he was enjoying every bit of it. He watched her yawn and he knew she was getting sleepy. "C'mere kid, let Uncle Riddick put you to sleep." He chuckled and picked her up under her legs, carrying her up the staircase.

When he picked her up, Jack almost screamed. _What the hell is he doing? _She held onto him tighter as he started up the steps. She almost let out a small giggle at this when she remembered; it was the way he would carry her around when they were on the ship coming to New Mecca. She laid her head down between his neck and shoulder, "You can't be my uncle, it would just be…wrong."

Very interesting thoughts ran through his mind as Jack snuggled into him and told him it would be wrong to be her uncle. "Wrong?" He entered what he assumed to be her room and headed straight for her messy bed. He sat down on the bunched up satin sheets; her now in his lap. He bent his head down close to her ear and whispered in a low voice, "Has good little Jack been thinking nasty thoughts about big bad Riddick?"

Jack's face went completely red and she was thankful he couldn't see specific colors. She shook her head frantically, grabbing a pillow and hitting him on the head with it. Fully knowing she was trying to convince her self more than him, she muttered out a "Please, you wish." She crawled out of his lap and lay down in the middle of the bed, still watching him.

Riddick knew once again she was lying. Those kinds of thoughts went both ways. _That's right kid, me too._ This was Jack though, _his_ Jack. She was still he same kid to him, so what if she grew up? Big fucking deal, he'd get over it…right? He moved over next to her, leaning his back up against the bed. "Go to sleep Jack, I'm not leaving anytime soon."

Jack rubbed her eyes sleepily, climbing into Riddick's lap for comfort. She smiled as she laid her head against his chest and she felt his strong arms around her. He was her protector, always watching over her and keeping her safe. She looked up for one last peek at his silver eyes making sure he was still there, before she fell asleep. Tonight there was no nightmare, for the first time since Riddick left; she was at peace in reality and in her dreams.

* * *

Jack shivered under the covers, her source of warmth gone. Her eyes fluttered open noticing something was wrong. _Covers? _She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes she looked next to her and didn't see anyone. _Where's Riddick? _She looked to her balcony and saw Riddick standing there in front of the broken glass doors. He had his back turned to her, but she knew that he was aware she had awoken. As his head cocked to its side and Riddick's face was in a hard line, Jack knew she was in trouble. 

"Jack, what the fuck happened here?" Riddick was pissed that he hadn't noticed the broken glass until a few minutes ago. _What the hell was she doing? It better not have been someone else. That would be one dead mother fucker._

Jack immediately was compelled to play with the silky fabric of the sheets. Her head was bowed and she was focused on making patterns in the fabric that was in-between her fingers. "Nothing important." She looked up from her fingers to see Riddick right in her face. Her eyes moved away from him, knowing that it was obvious she was lying. She felt herself falling back and her wrists were pinned down to the bed.

Riddick was fed up were her attitude and his temper was rising rapidly. His inner beast was screaming at him that he hadn't been here. Something had happened and he sure as hell would find out what. He desperately wanted to take off his goggles so she felt his angered gaze on her, but the rays of light were directly on his face. He found his grip on her wrists tightening and he didn't even notice her wince beneath him. "Like hell it was nothing important. Don't bullshit me Jack."

She really didn't want him worrying about it; they should enjoy the time they had. But with the way she was pinned down, it was obvious that he had the upper hand. Jack tried one more time to wrestle him off of her, but his grip just tightened. She had no choice. "About a month ago, I noticed someone was following me. No one else noticed, but I was on high alert. I played it like I didn't notice and they believed it, so they just waited, and watched me." She shivered when she remembered how there was no running away from them. They were always watching her. "Finally they decided to attack a few days ago, breaking the door and ready to jump me. They obviously weren't that smart, so I got creative and took 'em out. That's it."

Riddick's face was a mix hurt and anger. He let go of her and stood with his back facing toward her. His insides were screaming at him, his beast ready and willing to kill the guy who dares fuck with his Jack. "Where is he?"

Jack was rubbing her wrists as they were throbbing with pain. She regretted telling him, but it would be wrong to keep it from him. Someone knew he was alive and it was now both of their problems. "Gone."

"Not the right answer, Jack." Riddick had turned to look at her, his features portraying utmost fury. _How dare they put Jack into this. She didn't do shit to them, and now they think they can waltz right up and…damn it! They are not getting away with this shit! _"I don't want you fighting them anymore. If anything _at all_ happens, you will go strait to me."

"But Riddick, I can hold my own and you know that! Actually you don't, you weren't here!" Jack couldn't contain the salty droplets that were coming out of her eyes. She refused to wipe them away; she wanted Riddick to see what he did to her. "Were you!"

Riddick gritted his teeth together, she was right. He didn't even contact her once, in fear of someone tracking his letter. "It wasn't safe. I had mercs on my neck Jack. You know that."

Jack swallowed, wiping the rest of her tears away. She heard Imam yell from downstairs that it was time to go to school. She didn't even respond to Imam but instead turned to Riddick. She walked right in front of him, her eyes centered on his goggles as though she could see his eyes through them. "It's still not safe, mercs are on both of our necks and we both know that. So stop pretending like this is only your fight, they just made it my fight too."

He knew she wasn't going to give this up, so he let it go for now. He sighed and pulled her head into him, resting his chin on it. "Fine, but you need some better weapons, and don't think for one second that I'm letting you go anywhere alone." He stopped and thought about that for a second, "Except there is no way in hell I'm taking you to school."

Jack smiled, wrapping her arms around his stomach. "Fair enough." She knew that he wouldn't be able to carry out his plan, but she let him think he had won. It was obvious that she had really won…well, for now.

* * *

"What time did you get here last night?" Imam had a hunch that Riddick was there last night. It was confirmed when he heard yelling coming from Jack's room. He didn't question how Riddick got in his house; he just accepted that the man had skills. 

Riddick was sitting at the kitchen table wolfing down the food in front of him. He didn't even look up when Imam asked him a question. "Late."

He shrugged at this answer, knowing that the man in front of him wasn't going to elaborate. Instead he looked out the window in the direction that Jack had just gone. He had just sent Jack off to school, but this time didn't scold her for being late or her wardrobe. He understood that Jack still had a lot of issues with Riddick, as did he. "I expected you to be back sooner than this, Mr. Riddick."

Riddick immediately stopped eating and leaned back in his chair. "Are you going to bitch me out too Holy Man?" He raised an eyebrow as if tempting Imam to challenge him.

Imam sighed, "I take it that young Jack already took the liberty of doing that for me." He almost twitched when he thought of his little girl so pissed she could rip Riddick's balls off with a glance. _I really shouldn't be thinking these things…._

Riddick frowned, "Yea, she did more than that." He was glad when Imam didn't question him further, not wanting to bring up how she pulled a knife on him. It was probably best to change the subject. "You knew about the attack?"

Imam nodded, "Unfortunately, Mr. Riddick. I've tried to keep her from a path of violence. But, it has proven useful to her." He hated to admit it, but maybe the fact that she knew how to fight was a good thing.

Riddick had to smirk at her disobedience. "Did you see her tattoo?" He laughed when Imam scowled. _That's my girl._

* * *

"Hey Trey, can we skip training today?" Jack was once again fingering her dog tags and looking at Trey with pleading eyes. They had been walking in the direction of the alley, but Jack took a turn. 

"What! We're all going to hell, it's the apocalypse! You _always_ want to train!" Trey looked like he was about to rip his hair out. Something was definitely wrong with Jack today. All day she had been smiling and zoning out, hardly paying attention to anything around her.

"I told someone I'd be home after school." Her eyes lit up and she grinned evilly at Trey. "You want to hang out over my place?" _Ohh...this will be sooooo awesome._

Trey shrugged, "I don't have to be anywhere. So who did you tell you'd be home? Was it Imam?" Trey had a feeling it wasn't Imam, but he figured he'd ask.

Jack smirked, resting her arm on his shoulder. "Nope, not Imam. Don't worry you'll meet him."

* * *

"Riddick…Riddick!" Jack yelled from the foot of the stairs, getting frustrated. She rolled her eyes as Trey covered his ears. She glanced around then ran into the study with no luck. "Where the hell is he?"

Trey shrugged and started up the stairs, "I'll be in your room, waiting for you to get through with your savage hunt." He smirked when he could feel Jack glaring daggers into his back. Soon Jack was in front of him, pushing open the door to her room.

"Watch out for the knives." Jack joked, laughing at his cautious expression. She plopped down on her bed, sighing as her body relaxed into the mattress. "I can't wait until next week. Then we'll finally be free."

Trey lay down on his stomach next to her so that she was next to him looking up at him. "School will be far behind us. Can you imagine that? We'll finally be on our own." He watched Jack's face contort into a frown.

"I can imagine. I've been down that road before. That's how I got on T-2." Jack seemed to be lost in her memories as they got darker and darker. She didn't notice that T-2 had slipped out.

"T-2?" Trey was positive that Jack had never said anything about T-2. He had heard of it on the news, and it was a planet, but he didn't know anything about it otherwise. He could tell Jack was clenching her teeth and he watched as her eyes closed. He brushed the hair out of her face and continued to stroke her hair. "Jack…." _Oh Jack…._

Jack let out a deep breath, but still didn't open her eyes. "I ran away from home when I was 12 and went to live with my aunt. My parents had been horrible people, constantly beating me for shit I didn't do. I found out a year later that my parents had been murdered. Then my aunt died of a sickness the same year. So I decided to take a ship off the planet and start over on my own." She stopped for a second, opening her eyes. "The ship was named Hunter-Gratzner, and was a cargo ship. Riddick was on that ship, along with Imam and some others. It crashed, into the planet T-2. At first, it was extremely hot and the sun was out for the longest. People were dying everywhere, and soon, it turned pitch black. It was like a horror movie, creatures came out and just…." Jack took in a shaky breath and then let it out slowly. "Anyway, Imam, Riddick and I were the only survivors. We took a ship back here and Riddick left me with Imam."

Trey was stunned to say the least, but he really couldn't say anything at all. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly ajar. He took a few minutes to snap himself out of his stupor and shook his head. "Wow…Jack I'm…sorry." Trey hadn't realized his fingers were tangled in her hair, but he really didn't feel like removing them. He only had one question, "But I don't understand why you were calling his name earlier." He watched the corners of Jack's mouth turn up into a smile, a deep voice answering his question.

"I came back." Riddick was leaning against the doorframe glaring at the boy next to Jack. He cursed his goggles as it took away from his piercing look. Riddick had heard her life story before, but hated when she repeated it. If she trusted this guy enough to know, he just thought he would help clarify. "Jack, I believe you forgot to tell him the reason I was on the ship. That I was being transported to a slam for murdering someone, brutally might I add." He would have gone on but Jack was now sitting up, giving him a death glare.

Trey twitched but tried to play it off cool for Jack "I take it your Riddick." Inside he was afraid as hell, but there was no way he was going to let this guy get the upper hand. There was just something about him….

Jack hadn't thought that Riddick would be as pissed as he seemed now. She actually thought that maybe he would be happy that she actually had _a_ friend! "Riddick, Trey. Trey, Riddick." _It's not like I brought a bunch of girls! What the fuck is his problem!_

Riddick was about to take out a shiv and kick this kid's ass. They had been sitting _way_ to close to each other. His hand itched as he thought of all the possible ways he could mangle the boy's body. "Jack, get your ass over here _now_."

Jack shook her head and rolled her eyes, marching over to him like a good little soldier. She stood in front of him, her eyes once again piercing through the goggles. _Sometimes Riddick is just so-so- ugh! He's such an ass! Not to mention he has a nice one…. _

"I want him out of here." Riddick could write a list on all the reasons the kid should run while he has the chance, all starting with Riddick's beast killing him. _Did you see how close he was to you? He was stroking your hair, lying down on your bed! Things that are reserved for me!_

_Two can play at that game Riddick._ Jack put on a smile and brushed her hand up the side of his face, "You can't always get what you want." She turned around smirking and sitting back on the bed, next to Trey.

Trey was internally beaming, he had no idea why, but it made him ecstatic to see Jack win over Riddick. He was though, curious about his intentions toward the girl. They both seemed to have some tension between them, and it almost seemed to be sexual. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. "You want to go to lunch tomorrow Jack?" Trey asked Jack, but was looking directly at Riddick.

"She's busy," Riddick inquired quickly. _Like hell she's going anywhere with you!_ He stared down Trey like a predator stalking its prey. He was going win.

Jack closed her eyes and sighed, "Enough is enough! I'm eating lunch by myself tomorrow! Trey, I'll talk to you later. Riddick, so help me- I will shut you up somehow!" Jack was furious and Riddick's next comment was going to be the last straw.

Even as Trey was picking up his backpack, Riddick still stared him down like a hawk. He listened to Jack's rant and figured that she was pissed enough, but he just couldn't resist. His eyes found there way to Jack's and he smirked, licking his lips. "It depends on how you plan to shut me up. I do have a few suggestions." He smirked as Trey glared daggers into him but backed away when he saw Jack.

Jack had small blades in-between her fingers like spikes, a blade between her teeth and knives protruding from the heels of her shoes. Like I said before, Jack didn't play. Her eyes were amber flames of pure fury as she was ready to jump Riddick any second now.

"Jack…." Riddick would have said something smart to Trey before he left, but he looked just as terrified as Riddick was. _Oh shit. I've** got** to stop doing this._


	5. Sick of Waiting

Yo, Thank you for everyone's reviews! I've been busy this week and it was nice to read those comments.

I got a lot of the _same_ critiques; I figure that's a good thing. So you guys have figured out that Riddick seems a little too flirty lately! Good! Rest assured, I have a plan! It is all part of my evil scheme that I'm cooking up, but don't worry, nothing will happen between him and Jack so soon. Trey plays a key role in this, so be patient. Riddick has his reasons, just hold tight. As always, R&R!

Disclaimer: I still don't own it, but I keep trying!

Enjoy.

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* * *

Ch.5 Sick of Waiting **

Max looked down at the piece of paper in his palm. Small red arrows were drawn on to represent different directions. He cursed, not understanding any of it.

The ship had landed on B-6, somewhere in the Congo system. Max really didn't see why anyone would want to live there. The planet was covered in swamps and there were really only a couple of large cities. The only homes he saw were rotted out and falling apart. The roofs were caving in and they looked to be infested with slimy creatures.

"Damn." He folded the piece of paper and shoved it in his pocket. Swatting away the flies, he started north. That was the direction the first arrow was pointing, and hopefully it would guide him correctly. There was only so much wetness and foul smells he could take.

* * *

"Ursa Luna is home to…crap, I can't remember." Jack let out a frustrated growl as she buried her face in her hands. She knew they had gone over it in class, but for some reason she just couldn't recall it. "Arrrgghh! Riddick!"

Riddick walked in glaring full force. "What." He was internally twitching and extremely pissed. Jack had just woken him up from a much needed nap, and he was _not_ happy. He looked at what she was doing and was ready to yell at her for waking him up. "Jack, you did not fucking wake me up, to help with this shit. You did not."

Jack smiled sheepishly, "Eh, sorry. I didn't know you were asleep." She shrugged it off only feeling slightly bad. _Hell, you kept me up for the last four years. I don't really care._ "Anyway, since you're up. I have a quick question."

Riddick was ready to go back to sleep, and make a memo to kill the kid when he woke up. He grunted, he guessed one question couldn't hurt. Giving her a look that said 'go on', he leaned against the doorframe.

Jack silently thanked him for staying and cleared her throat. "What is Ursa Luna home to? I just can't rememb-" Jack stopped talking as Riddick's face was ice cold. She swore that he was emitting cold air and she shivered. "Riddick…."

"Ursa Luna, home to Slam City. Went there once, long time before T-2, and it wasn't pretty. Must admit it was better than some of the other slams." He saw a glint in Jack's eyes and he knew what she was thinking. "I better not ever hear of you going anywhere near there." Riddick ran a hand over his face and looked at Jack. Her eyes still seemed to be questioning if that was really bad thing. "Yea Jack, it's a bad thing."

Jack bit her bottom lip and shrugged, she considered it actually one of the coolest things about him. He wasn't afraid. Well if he was, he sure as hell pulled it off well. "Is that where you got your eye shine?"

Riddick shook his head, "No." He hoped that abruptly ending the topic would quell her curiosity. It didn't. He sighed as that sparkle returned to Jack's eyes and he knew that she was ready to ask where he got it done. "You'll never know."

Jack knew exactly what he was talking about. How did he know she was going to ask that question? Ok, so he was Riddick, big deal. "Please?" She knew begging wouldn't work, but she had to try. Maybe he would feel guilty for leaving her here those long four years, you never know.

Riddick felt like rolling his eyes under his goggles, but it just wouldn't have the annoyed effect if Jack couldn't see it. He wondered if he should go over and shut her up his style, but he still didn't know exactly what that was. Riddick was internally conflicted, as much as he hated to admit it. He wasn't sure if he was ready for Jack to really be grown up. Ever since he got here, he had been trying to convince himself that she was definitely not a kid anymore. But unfortunately, he didn't know exactly what that meant for him. So for now he just decided to stick to words, plain and simple. "Never."

Jack gave up; she figured that he wasn't going to crack anytime soon. "Before you go back to your beauty sleep, can we pick out new weapons tomorrow?" She really wanted to go on her own, but she knew that Riddick was an expert when it came to these things.

He raised an eyebrow, but shrugged in reply. "Sure kid." Riddick really wasn't against the idea; he just wished she had asked sooner. There hadn't been any attacks in the last few days he had been here and it was really grating on his nerves. Something big was going to happen soon, he could feel it. The sooner they were prepared, the sooner Riddick could do what he came here to do. But right now…he just wanted to sleep.

Jack gave a half smile as Riddick retreated through the door back to the guest room. She fell down onto her back, the cool sheets of the bed underneath her. She glanced over at the balcony, the broken glass a symbol. She kept her voice to a soft whisper as she thought aloud. "I wonder how long we can keep this up."

* * *

Max had been walking for hours now, and was fed up with the planet. His body ached, he smelled like shit, and bugs kept biting him. Every second and every step, he wondered how much further his destination was. 

_This Toombs guy better be **amazing**,' cuz if he's not I swear I'm gunna-! _He sighed as he pulled out his map again; the red ink was now smeared from the sweat in his pocket. Max glanced down and up, checking his current location. _One more turn…._ He walked for a couple more minutes, and then took a sharp left turn. There, at the end of the street was a large apartment like building. It didn't look as worn down as the other buildings, but it had it's fair share of rust.

He walked down the center of the street until he was standing in the doorway of the tall building. His hand reached out and touched the warm knob, opening the foggy glass door slowly. Max glided into the building, a floorboard cracking under his weight. He moved over in front of the desk, not seeing anyone at all. A dull brass bell was positioned next to a pen and he found himself tapping the bell, a muted ring coming out of it.

An old scruffy looking man appeared from the back room, a screen door swinging behind him. He looked around quickly, his grey eyes landing on a small man in the front. "Eh, 'ello? Who are ya? I don' 'ave any money! What d' ya wa-"

Max waved his hands in front of his face trying to calm the man down. "No! I-I just was looking for someone is all! I swear!" He really wasn't accustomed to calming down senile old men, so he was having a bit of trouble finding the right words.

"Oh." The man's eye twitched and he went closer to Max from behind the desk. "Who're ya lookin' fer?" He scratched his grey beard in contemplation; he wasn't used to having people come in here who weren't trying to rob, kill him, or kill someone else here.

Max thought up a swift lie, unsure of really what to say. "I was in town and I realized Toombs lives here. So I wanted to pay my good friend a visit before I travel again." He prayed that it would get him by, but the flash of fear that fluttered across the man's features, said otherwise.

"Yer 'is friend huh. Ok, jus' sign the book." The man gave an eerie smile before pulling a book off of the back shelf. He placed it in front of Max and pointed to the pen.

He smiled gratefully. Max was sure that he was screwed, but maybe he had a chance to redeem himself after all. He picked up the pen and looked down at the book. He noticed it was blank, and felt cool metal touching the top of his head. _Damn._ The clerk had pulled a gun on him.

* * *

Jack sat at a dull brown desk in her least favorite room, the classroom. Soon enough she would be out of here, but that thought seemed to make the hours drag on longer. Her fingertips were once again fumbling with the dog tags around her neck, signaling she wasn't paying attention. 

Instead of math, she was thinking about all the new shivs she would get, and how awesome she was going to be once she used them. Riddick promised her that they would go weapon shopping today. He had told her over and over again that she should stop playing with her 'toy knives'. Of course Jack had rolled her eyes, because even though they were small, it's not like they hadn't worked! But she had to admit, if Riddick said she needed better ones, she probably did.

All of a sudden, something dawned on her; Riddick couldn't walk around without a disguise. He needed some new clothes, something to make him look…well, not like an escaped convict killer. Jack frowned when she thought of Riddick _not_ in one of his tight black muscle shirts. _There goes my eye candy…._

Her attention was drawn away from her inner thoughts, when she saw Trey motioning her to look down. Jack obliged and found a paper sled sliding almost out of reach before she caught it. She moved the mini sled to her lap, as she made sure the teacher was turned around. Looking down, she unfolded the piece of paper and started to read its contents. It read:

_Are you still mad at me? I'm sorry. _

Jack glanced up and the teacher seemed to be staring right at her. She swallowed and blinked as her superior glared and turned around furiously. Jack caught her saying something about being glad Jack would be gone.

Scribbling an "I know", Jack folded the paper back up, and slid it back to Trey. She didn't even wait for Trey's reaction, before she slipped back into her thoughts of Riddick.

* * *

It hadn't proved too difficult for Trey to convince Jack to forgive him. He decided that he would follow up his apology by going shopping with her. Trey was disappointed that they were shopping for Mr. Badass, but he was glad to be with Jack anyway. 

Jack was looking through a rack of clothing and noticed Trey pointed out a yellow shirt. She wanted to bust out laughing and look at him like he was a retard, but she refrained herself. "Umm…he likes black." _He also looks extremely tasty in black. No! Bad thoughts!_ Seeing the man roll his eyes, she wondered if she had said the last part out loud. She immediately turned a bright shade of pink.

Trey had noticed Jack's face turn colors and he was worried that she took what he said literally. So he decided to clarify it for her, "I was kidding Jack. It was kind of obvious he doesn't like color. It-was-a-joke." Her face didn't seem to change any.

They walked around some more, Jack picking up a few items of clothing here and there. She was having difficulty putting together entire outfits, but she had found various shirts and a cool looking hat.

She stopped abruptly as she saw a stand with dozens of sunglasses on multiple racks. Pulling a pair off, Jack examined them closely. They were rimmed in silver with small black X's on the temple, the lenses a jet black. _He'll love these! _She was snapped out of her thoughts as Trey was waving a hand in front of her face. Her eyes were wide as she turned to look at Trey.

"Hellooooooo in there…is there a life form inside?" One minute he thought Jack was picking out some sunglasses, and the next she was zoning out. He noticed that this was becoming a strange pattern with her lately. Well, ever since this Riddick guy came back. He liked to see Jack happy, and was grateful that this guy had saved her life, but he just… didn't like him. Where had this Riddick been before? Trey didn't know nor care. All he knew was that _he_ was there when Jack needed a friend, and he planned on being there for a long time to come.

"Sorry." Jack mumbled a quick apology before looking at her watch. "Crap. He's going to be so pissed off." She pulled Trey by the hand up to the front to pay for the sunglasses. After her purchase she ran next door to grab a few pairs of black pants, also paying for them quickly. She silently prayed that they wouldn't be too small for Riddick as she shoved them in her large bag. Glancing at her watch again, she sighed, "I'm screwed."

* * *

"Where'd he go?" Jack was now glaring out the window, back at Imam's house. Trey was sitting next to her, and Imam was standing behind her reading a newspaper. She was getting fed up with Riddick's disappearing acts. It seemed like she could never find him when she needed him. 

Imam flipped a page in him paper, while rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes. Of course he knew exactly whom Jack was referring to, whom else would she hold that glare for? "I believe he went for a walk through the town."

Trey saw a golden opportunity as he saw Jack's eye twitch, when Imam said, "walk". He cracked his knuckles and nudged Jack, "I know what'll make you feel better." Trey gave a hopeful smile as Jack turned to look at him, challenging him to go on. "How about, we go train. You can pretend you're really trying to hurt Riddick instead of me." To him, his idea seemed flawless, except for one thing.

Jack knew it sounded like a good idea, but then again there was a problem. "If I pretend you're Riddick, I _will_ kill you with my bare hands." Ok, so she was exaggerating a bit…ok, a lot. She most likely would not be able to even scar the real Riddick. But currently, all common sense was lost to the fact that he blew her off. _We were going weapon shopping, he promised. But is he here now? No. Shows how much I can trust him He hasn't changed._

Trey sighed, leaning back in his chair and watching the tangerine sun hide behind the grey clouds. He put a hand on Jack's shoulder, "Hey, how about we go train like normal, and you just release some of that tension."

She rolled her head to the side, thinking over his proposition. She looked out of the window, contemplating whether or not to wait for Riddick. _Damn it_, _I don't care about Riddick. Let him come back. I won't be here…I have got to stop putting faith in his lies._ "Mmmm…okay." Jack gave in, hoping that this little sparring session would help her relax.

Imam glanced at the duo sitting in front of him, his eyes focused on Jack. He wanted to tell her that she was forbidden to train, but he knew she would ignore him. There was only so much he could do. So he would leave this to Riddick. "Will you not wait for Mr. Riddick?" He watched the girl spring up, dusting herself off and looking away from both Trey and Imam.

"I've done enough waiting." With that, Jack turned and left out of the room with an emotionless mask, and feeling of rejection.

* * *

"You're late Mr. Riddick." Imam didn't even have to look up from his newspaper, and he knew the man was furious. He could feel the temperature rise as Riddick entered the room. 

"She can't wait five fuckin' minutes." Riddick glared outside the window, not in the least bit happy. "Where are they?" The second Imam said he was late, Riddick knew that Jack's little boyfriend was with her. He balled up his fist, once again thinking of all the ways he could deform the boy's body.

Imam folded his newspaper up, placing it at the end of the counter. "Go west of here; keep straight until you pass the bazaar. Once you are past that area, take a right and they'll be in an alleyway between two tall, tan buildings." He received a nod from Riddick and the next thing he knew, the man was gone.

Imam dabbed his forehead as it started to perspire. He was nervous, something was wrong. The way Riddick looked when he didn't see Jack…was almost terrifying. The man seemed like he would explode and kill everything in sight, in a matter of seconds. Maybe he was just being over protective, but Imam doubted it. He had seen that look before. It always meant something bad was about to happen, something _very _bad.

* * *

The minute Riddick stepped out of the house; he could feel a pair of eyes on him. He he cursed as the merc cloak and hood disguise didn't seem to be working. Moving into the shadows, he kept his back to the person and made sure it would be hard for the individual to get a good visual of him. He could feel the tension immediately lighten as he noticed the person lost track of him. Stopping for a minute, he debated whether or not to find Jack. _It's dangerous, but if I don't…._ So he pressed on, following Imam's directions. 

It was easy to get lost in the crowd of merchants, so his problem was improved slightly by the fact that the man couldn't find him. He turned the corner and was ready to look for two tall buildings. Riddick immediately felt Jack's presence and frowned when he found her in the alleyway. Leaning on one of the walls next to him, he watched Jack's head snap up.

Riddick knew the person was back and was watching his every move. His back was still facing the figure but he knew His eyes flashed beneath the black goggles and he mouthed something to Jack. _Listen…relax…_

Jack covered Trey's mouth as she noticed him about to say something. When she first saw Riddick, she had thought she had just pissed him off, but something was off. He had mouthed 'Listen' and she wasn't about to disregard it. She took in a deep breath and listened to her surroundings. Hearing a shuffle Jack's body immediately tensed.

They were back.

* * *

Max hated his luck. He had been through so much shit already today; he could not believe it when the clerk pulled out a gun. Gritting his teeth together he debated whether to say anything or not. The clerk made the decision for him when he cocked the pistol. 

The next thing Max heard was footsteps and he dared to glance up. A brunette man with a goatee lit up a cigarette and caught the boy's eyes.

The scruffy clerk looked back and smirked, "Say 'ello ta Toombs."


	6. Toombs

A/N: Yo. What's up everyone? Boy have I had a busy month. I'm sorry I wasn't able to update sooner than this. Usually I'm better at updating quicker. You would not believe all the stuff that happened! Well, I at least got to go to Mexico! Oh yea, and my birthday was fun. So I hope you guys are looking forward to this chapter! Thanks loads to all of my reviewers as always. It's really nice to know that you guys somewhat care! (sniff) I'm alright…anyway, as always **R&R** and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I unfortunately still don't own Pitch Black or Vin Diesel…although I would very much like to own Vin.

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* * *

Ch.6 Toombs**

There was an eerie sort of feel in the air. The world seemed muted, yet there was still the sound of booming voices bartering on the streets. Everything had stopped in an instant, and Jack could only hear her own heartbeats.

Riddick seemed to move in slow motion as he walked casually past her, his eyes sending her a message. A black figure dropped down from atop a building, and suddenly the world sped up. Jack's fingers grabbed for the nearest knife on her belt and she flung it into the darkness with as much accuracy as she could muster. A pain stricken cry out of the darkness let her know she had hit her target.

As the body fell on the ground shaking, Riddick almost felt bad for the idiot. He moved over next to him, taking out his own shiv just for the hell of it. Shaking his head, Riddick internally chuckled, _Guess you fucked with the wrong girl._ If Jack had been going for groin, she had excellent accuracy. If not, well then they'd have to work on that.

The man's wide eyes were full of tears as he looked at where Jack had hit him. His whole body was wracking with sobs as he tried not to pass out. He was aware that _his _mark and her allies were now forming a circle around his bleeding form, all with weapons in hand. _This couldn't be any more fucked up._

Trey stood in the background still trying to figure out what exactly had happened. One minute he and Jack were sparring, the next Jack snapped. Now he was watching a man that seemed to be dying before them. _What the hell is going on?_

Watching the man squirm under his gaze, he held up his curved bone shiv, letting him see every sharp point and thin blade. Squatting down, Riddick cast a look to Jack, "Go home." He could take care of this himself.

Jack glared at Riddick, "Bite me." Crossing her arms in defiance, she swore his eyes had flickered behind the goggles. Taking out her own strategically placed blade, she knelt down next to their injured attacker. Her own amber eyes challenged Riddick's silver ones before they shifted to the man attempting to crawl away. Grabbing his neck and throwing him up against the wall, Jack was obviously not in a good mood. Her fingers pressed harder, his sweat sliding down between the gaps. Jack spoke, her voice a chilling, icy drawl. "We're going to play a game, it's simple. I'm going to ask you a question, and you're going to give me the answer. If you decide not to give me the answer, you won't last for very long."

Small noises escaped his throat as he gasped for air. This kid was strong for a girl; he had expected an easy catch. He would have gotten away clean if that Riddick hadn't have shown up. Yea, he knew whom he was following all along; he just didn't expect him to be on New Mecca. Sure his aim had been centered on the girl, but once he saw Riddick…it was a whole new game. Now he was sitting here bleeding to death out of a very treasured body part. His mind was fuzzy, but he remembered that he still had a chance to try and get away. If only he could get to his pocket….

On the inside, Riddick was swearing and tearing things to pieces around him. _How dare Jack challenge **me**._ He thought she of all people would know who the fuck she was talking to. He had experience with this kind of stuff. Hell, he lived this shit! _All of a sudden she thinks that she can deal with these people just because she play fights with that bitch Trey. Damn it Jack!_ Riddick was so caught up in his own thoughts, that by the time he noticed a flash of metal it was too late.

Jack felt something sharp pierce her flesh, and her tender stomach was now engulfed in waves of pain. She froze for a minute, and then her fingers tightened their grip, almost crushing the man's neck. Jack's now dull eyes, were staring down at the crimson liquid spilling out of her wound. She started to fall, and could barely see Riddick slice the man in front of her. All she saw before she blacked out was blood.

His eyes scanned over the wound, and he found himself ready to explode. Glancing back at a frozen Trey, he let out a low menacing growl. "Get over here you little piece of shit!" He felt the warm liquid running down his arms and he felt like killing everyone and everything around him. The blade was in deep and would be an obstacle. Not that he couldn't get it out, but he would have do prep the area around it first, and fast too. He picked up his cloak off the ground with one hand, swinging it over himself and Jack. Seeing that the boy still hadn't moved, he pushed him aside and started in a dead run.

Trey was in shock. He could see the scene played out before him, but he couldn't move. The world was colored red and it was blinding his senses. Deaf to everyone and everything, he couldn't hear Riddick's voice telling him to move, to help. Trey was at a loss; he had failed Jack. He just wasn't able to protect her. Suddenly the large man took off; only a body left slumped up against the wall, and Trey was snapped back to reality. Next thing he knew, he was running. He couldn't think or see, blinded by internal anguish, yet he knew exactly where he was going.

* * *

Toombs didn't look too friendly. Max had expected that his boss had at least _mentioned_ something about this arrangement. But now, looking up at him with a pistol ready to blow Max's brains out, he didn't seem like the compromising type. _What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

Taking a long drag on his cigarette, Toombs scanned the boy in front of him. He moved his face next to Max's, and blew out a puff of smoke into his face. Giving a smirk as he watched Max choke and cough, he waved a hand at the clerk to remove the weapon. He found the boy to be of no threat to him, hell the _clerk_ could've killed him by now. But Toombs had to admit, he _was_ curious. He nodded to the scruffy man next to him, "I'll take care of it."

Rubbing his stomach and waving his gun in front of Max one more time, the clerk grunted, "fine." He glared at the nervous looking boy and then let out a dry, raspy laugh. "'ave fun with 'em." Grinning, he found himself wobbling back into the back room, silver pistol still in hand.

Max straightened up, his nostrils and eyes still burning from the cloud of smoke. He gauged whether it was alright to speak or not, and found Toombs almost egging him on. "I was sent here to find you by my boss. He says that you're the expert and so he has a proposition."

"I'm the expert?" Toombs wanted to laugh, last time anyone thought _he_ was an expert, was…well, never. He was curious to say the least, and wanted to know exactly who and what he was dealing with. "A proposition over what?"

Feeling a sigh of relief, Max started to relax. Finally things were starting to turn around. He thought of what his boss told him when they reviewed the deal, and found himself saying one name. "Riddick."

* * *

Atop of the staircase, stood Imam. He had just been about to go down into his office, when he was greeted with the unpleasant sight of a lifeless Jack and edgy Riddick. He wanted to ask what on Helion Prime happened to them, but he decided it wouldn't be wise to say anything. Turning, he hurriedly moved to grab first-aide supplies, Jack had often gotten hurt in her earlier days on the planet. Imam figured it was what she got for sneaking off. But this time his runaway had gotten seriously hurt, and he didn't think any amount of band-aids or Neosporin would help.

Riddick went into Imam's study, finding it one of the only rooms without a window. Jack's body was spread across his lap and her head lay motionless in his arms. He peeled off the fabric of her shirt that was soaked in blood, careful not to irritate the wound. He heard quick footsteps, not Imam's, but still he knew exactly whom they belonged to, before the person was even in view. "Go get a cold towel, and this time hurry up."

Trey nodded, noting that he had taken too much time already. He brushed past Imam while he jogged up the stairs. The man had been holding a small, white, box type container.

Imam quickly moved over to where Riddick was, opening the medical kit. "Let's work quickly."

* * *

"Riddick huh? What's that bastard up to this time?" Toombs crossed his arms, a small frown on his face.

Max took in a deep breath; thankful that the man knew whom he was talking about. Not that it was any secret who Riddick was. "Well, we've been after him for a while, but we found a connection to him that we could exploit. The only problem is that she knows we're after her, and she's not exactly the damsel in distress type."

Toombs let out a loud chuckle, "She kicked your ass, didn't she?" He laughed harder when he saw how crestfallen Max looked at this comment. "So you need _me_ to bag Riddick for _you, _to save _your_ asses from getting whooped by a chick? Am I getting this straight?"

Max furrowed his eyebrows, that couldn't possibly be what he was saying, could it? The more he thought about it, the more he found Toombs was right. He nodded his head slightly and sighed. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Here, just read this! It's from my boss."

Toombs snatched the paper out of Max's hand, getting extremely impatient. Maybe now he would find out who the "boss" really was. Unfolding the letter, he scanned over it quickly. His lips upturned into a small smirk, "Well, now it's a whole new ballgame." His eyes found Max's pleading ones and he glanced back down at the signature of the letter. "This should be fun."


	7. Healing

This month has been sooooooo tiring! I have freakin' finals! Gah! It's hard to keep up with like 3 stories at once, and study for stupid school! So anyway, gomen for being so late!

Thank you so very, very much for reviewing! It makes me feel really good to read those! T.T ((sniff) ish so happeh!) I love you all!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black, or any of the freakin' characters! What more do you want from me! O.o;;

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for, ok not really. You guys don't really care what happens, but I'm going to give it to you anyway!

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* * *

Ch.7 Healing**

Eyelids barely opened, as the strong sun decided to pierce the darkness that was once in front of them. A light shade of grey was now present as they had difficulty focusing. A small groan escaped Jack as she shut her eyes again, but this time not because of the light. She clutched her side in hopes of stifling the pain. Amber eyes now wide, she looked down to see her side covered in bandages. There was no blood that was visible, but it was obvious that the wound had to have been severe. Attempting to mover her legs, Jack froze as she felt something against them. Looking over next to her, she found Riddick sleeping. _Uh-oh, what did I do? What happened! _

Then suddenly the events from the day before came flooding back to her. She saw the race, Trey, the attacker, Riddick, the threats, and the crimson color of blood. Realizing she must have passed out afterward, her curiosity peaked as to how everyone must have worried. Riddick probably didn't care; it would've been just another thing he didn't have to be bothered about. But she knew that she was lying to herself, why else would he be beside her now?

Riddick must have felt Jack move, because his silent breathing and open eyes indicated he was awake. He stayed down in the girl's shadow, steering his gaze away from the light. To him she looked a lot better, but anything's better than not waking up, he guessed. "You feelin' okay kid?"

For some reason, it felt extremely good to hear his voice. She would have thought that at least in the darkness he would be there, but she could never find him. But her dreams had proved her wrong; he had been there the whole time, watching over her through the night. Rolling over to her other side, she winced but faced Riddick. Jack gave a goofy sort of smile "It hurts."

Riddick almost wanted to laugh, "If it didn't, _then_ I'd worry." He let out a long exhale, a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He figured that before, he was tensed up, anxious to see if Jack was really okay. Her status was confirmed with her painfully obvious, (haha, a pun!) statement. "Hungry kid?"

Jack nodded, gritting her teeth while her side pulsated. She noticed Riddick about to say something, but she cut him off. "I know, goggles." She rolled back to her other side, reaching over to the nightstand. Her fingers fumbled with the band of the goggles and pulled them over in front of Riddick. "I'll put them on for you. You never let me do that part!" She gave a smile and pulled them around his head.

Jack had been referring to the times back on the skiff when Riddick would look like he was asleep, and she would pull his goggles off for him. Jack remembered to always put them on his nightstand; it was a sort of ritual. For a while it happened every night, and she wondered if it was really just a coincidence or not. Later she figured out that Riddick had just been faking it because he knew that she enjoyed doing it. Little things like that were special between them, simple luxuries.

Sitting up and stretching his arms, Riddick yawned, tired from staying awake all night. He hadn't actually gone to sleep until earlier that morning, watching just incase the girl next to him woke up. His stomach was twisted in knots, begging for some nourishment and he knew Jack's probably was too. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, scooting off of it and shaking off the numb feeling. He walked over to the doorway, almost leaving, but looking back at Jack. "What do you want?"

Sighing and rubbing her chin, Jack thought about what she wanted. "Well, I really want some pancakes, mixed fruit, bacon, eggs, and chocolate milk. Maybe even some hash browns on the side." She wanted to bust out laughing at Riddick's expression, but contained herself as best she could. His left eyebrow was raised and his mouth was slightly open, looking slightly dumbfounded. It was _too _funny. "But, cereal will do just fine."

Before leaving, Riddick shook his head, mumbling something about 'crazy kids'.

* * *

Max sat in a large chair outside his boss's office. He would have immediately noticed how comfy the chair was, if he wasn't so nervous. Toombs was inside the room with his boss, and hopefully all was going well. He could only pray, for his job was on the line.

As the door opened, Toombs stepped out of the room. A lit cigar was perched in his mouth, and he wore a smug expression. "You're on a thin line, aren't ya kid?" As he watched the boy swallow hard, and he felt the corner of lips itch up into a smirk. "It's safe to say you're off the hook _for now_. I wouldn't count on it lasting very long though." He chuckled as he walked past Max and out the other door.

Closing his eyes and sighing, Max felt like a small burden was lifted off him. He held his face in his palms, trying to calm his nerves down and breathing deeply. He jumped at the sound of a deep voice over the intercom, his nerves skyrocketing once again.

"Bravo Maxwell. Bravo!" The man clapped over the speaker, giving a quiet laugh. "You brought me what I wanted, good boy. If only you would've done what I asked in the first place, we wouldn't _need_ his assistance, now would we?" Max could almost feel the man smile eerily at him. "No. But that _is_ what happened, so now you need to clean up your mess. It was a good start. You've kept yourself alive for a few days, congrats." Suddenly the man's tone of voice changed to one of the utmost seriousness. "I suggest you celebrate tonight, for tomorrow you will have a new assignment. I guarantee it sure as hell won't be as easy as the last."

The speaker turned off and Max was slightly shaky. He was glad he had bought himself some time, but that was about all that he did. Unexpectedly, he felt like throwing things and smashing them. His fear had turned into anger, and he was pretty pissed off. Perhaps he was starting to go insane, Max figured as much for a few moments. Or perhaps, he just needed a drink.

* * *

Jack hadn't moved since Riddick left. She felt drained and tired, her injury still throbbing. Jack had closed her eyes a long time ago, but still staying awake, waiting for Riddick's return. It had been a while and she wondered what was possibly taking him so long. She heard footsteps now in her room, they were soft, but still she could hear them. If she opened her eyes, she thought she would've found Riddick standing next to her. But now the hand running alongside her face, didn't feel like Riddick's. Her eyes shot open, not sure on what they would see. They met shadowy blue eyes that were as wide as her own; she wasn't sure who was more startled. "Trey! You scared me!" Jack attempted to sit up, pain still surging through her.

Blinking a couple times, a smile graced Trey's lips as he forcefully hugged her. "Jack! You're awake!" He leaned back looking again at her, making sure she was real. The look on her face told him she was in mass amounts of pain, and he quickly apologized. He kneeled down next to the bed, now closer to Jack's eye level. Tucking a few strands of hair behind Jack's ear, he touched his other hand to the side of her face. "Damn Jack, I wasn't sure if you were ever going to wake up."

Jack internally laughed; she probably gave the poor kid a heart attack. "You don't have to worry. I'm like a cat, I have 9 lives." She gave him a reassuring smile, placing her hand atop his. "You should know better than to doubt my skills. I'll always come back." It sounded good to say, even if they both knew it was a lie.

Shaking his head, Trey chuckled. "Don't you _ever_ scare me like that again. You got that?" He watched her amber eyes flicker, almost challenging him to say why. He found himself inching a bit closer to her.

Jack rolled her eyes and nodded. "Okay crybaby, I get it. Next time I'll make sure not to pass out and/or die. If we play this chess game, the same rules go for you."

Trey shook his head, leaning in closer to Jack. "Au contraire, I am the king, and so I make the rules." He smirked as a frown crossed Jack's face.

"That doesn't seem fair." Jack was going to make sure as hell that Trey wasn't going to go all high and mighty on her. Suddenly Jack noticed that all the space between them had been closed off. Why hadn't she been aware of this sooner? "So what does that make me?"

His eyes were focused on Jack's mouth, it looked so inviting. He was blatantly intoxicated by her presence. They were too close to each other for something not to happen. Trey was unaware when his voice had switched to a low whisper. "The queen."

The door opened and the two jumped apart. Jack was blinking rapidly and clutching her side. Trey on the other hand, had his palm over his heart, practically hyperventilating. Riddick stood in the doorframe with a raised eyebrow, and a tray full of food. Grateful that he interrupted when he did. He immediately fixed a glare in Trey's direction, hoping to instill a bit more fear into the boy. Apparently it was working, because he was immediately in the opposite corner of the room. "What the hell is he doing here?"

Jack's face tinged pink as she clutched the sheets tighter. "He came to see if I was awake yet." She was actually glad that Riddick came when he had. Surprisingly, Jack didn't want to know what Trey was going to do, or her for that matter. She looked at the tray in the large man's hands and gasped. "You didn't really have to get that much! I was joking!"

Riddick shrugged, his lips twisting up into a half smile. He brought the tray over and sat it down on Jack's lap, "Enjoy kiddo." He almost laughed when the girl dived into the food immediately. Twisting his head, he found Trey still sitting in the corner quietly. He gritted his teeth together, replaying the scene he had walked in on. "Obviously she's fine, so she'll see you-."

"Shut up and eat!" Jack shoved a piece of fruit in Riddick's mouth before he could finish what he was saying. She twitched as the man almost choked on the food. But she didn't see the glare Trey was shooting Riddick.

Riddick was surprised, but internally laughed at how pissed off Trey looked. Yes, he had won. But just to add to his enjoyment, he thought he would add to it, just a little bit. Turning his head to glance at Jack, he licked his lips hungrily. "You know I'll have to get you back for that."

Jack gave a slight smirk, "I highly doubt that." She knew that look and she had the urge to throw a piece of food at him. _This is not the time to be a perv, Riddick! _She looked over to where she thought Trey had been sitting, but found that he as now standing. "Trey?"

"Uh, I'll check up on ya later Jack. Glad to see you're okay." With that Trey left, not being able to stand this anymore. He left out of the glass doorway to the balcony, shutting it almost violently behind him.

Riddick couldn't be more pleased. He felt like dancing and jumping in circles…like hell was he doing any of that! Glancing over to see Jack's fallen face, he almost felt awful at what he'd done…almost.

* * *

"Now, now Toombs, lets not rush." He chuckled, placing a cigar in his mouth. The man leaned back in his large chair, eyes still focused upon his companion.

Toombs frowned, "I'm not rushing, it's simply necessary." He stood up, throwing a picture down on the desk. "She needs to be eliminated, first." He leered down at the man next to him, still with the cocky smile on his lips.

Blowing out smoke rings, his eyes seemed to glaze over. "Don't you think we've already tried that?" He looked down at the picture on the table, "The last one I sent after her hasn't come back. I'm assuming he's dead, and that only means one of two things." He held out two fingers in front of Toombs' face. "One, the girl somehow killed him. Or two…."

Suddenly realization crossed Toombs face, and his face twisted into a malicious grin. "Ol' dickhead is back." He found himself laughing, "So that's why you need me. I should've known, you asshole. In that case, we'll need to strike right here." He pointed to the picture of Jack on the desk, right at where her heart would be.

* * *

After breakfast, Riddick had told Jack to get some more rest. He said that she needed to heal up quick. Supposedly he had a surprise for her when she got well. She didn't argue or put up any sort of fight, she was anxious for what he had in store for her. She always did love his surprises.

At first her sleep was pretty peaceful, but then they switched over, completely overpowering the tranquility. _It was raining and she knew immediately it was the scene from her history that played through her mind endlessly. It went through the whole heartbreaking ordeal, and then it switched over to her creeping down the stairs. In the dream she sensed Riddick's presence, and it still sent chills down her spine when he spoke. **"Good morning Princess."** It quickly switched over to the last guy that attacked her. She could see the knife protruding from her stomach, while red liquid spilled out of her. Next through her own eyes once again she saw her surroundings in the color of blood. She was unaware when it switched yet again, but to something new this time. She saw Imam yelling something unclear at a man in dark clothing. She saw her adoptive father jumping at the man then staggering backward as a blade was pressed up to a smaller figure. Jack couldn't quite make out who the person was, until she saw large brown eyes filled with fear._

Jack's eyes bolted open as she jolted upward, breathing heavily and sweating. "Ziza!"


	8. Kidnapped

A/N: Ahrgh! So busy! I never thought I'd get this one out at all! XP Well, good news is that I did! Yay for me! Sorry it took so long, but you have no idea all the crap that's been going on! . Well thankies to all my beautiful reviewers! (squeezes them until they can't breathe) R&R as always, and hopefully I'll get the next chapter up earlier. XD This chapt. Kinda goes into more of the past between Riddick and the bad guy! Fun. Urgh…anyway, here's the next installment finally!

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* * *

Ch.8 Kidnapped**

Jack clutched her side as she ripped the sheets from atop her body. She was frantically trying to stand when she felt a hand grip her wrist. Her eyes flashed over at a frowning Riddick. "Riddick, I need to check on Ziza- something's wrong." As soon as she felt his grip on her loosen, she tried to make a run for it. A piercing wave of pain went through her and she found her body collapsing against the door. She wasn't surprised when she felt arms around her waist, holding her up.

Steadying her back on her feet, Riddick kept an arm around her as he opened the door. "Take it slow Jack." Immediately following his words, he was given an incredulous look from the girl. He covered her mouth with his free hand before she could begin her obvious upcoming rant. Moving them through the doorway, he basically resorted to carrying Jack down the hallway. Once they neared Ziza's room, he let Jack take the lead again.

Moving ahead to swing open the door, Jack readied herself for anything they might see. As the creaking of the hinges was heard, her line of eyesight fell on the sleeping form of Ziza. Sighing thankfully, Jack slowly entered the girl's room. Amber eyes never left the darkened lump that was the little girl. She moved to hover over the small child and brushed a stray curl of hair out of her face.

Chocolate eyes blinked open slowly, trying to see through fogged vision. Giving a quiet yawn, Ziza rubbed the lids of her eyes to rid the tiredness. She looked up to see Jack smiling down at her. Glancing over to the side of the bed, she saw a large shadow of a figure she now easily recognized. "Big sis? Mr. Riddick?"

Riddick stayed silent as Jack shushed the young one, and then turned on the small lamp that was on the dresser. Even though the older woman's face was soft, he knew that inside she was still tense. His own body was rigid, not yet quite believing that all was well. Jack very well may have had just a bad nightmare, but it seemed that her eagerness to save the little one might have been the result of something more serious. Riddick remembered times in the past when his little clone had told him of nightmares about the creatures on T-2; nightmares she had before even hearing of the Hunter Gratzner. It bothered Riddick to no end that what happened when she was asleep, could very well become real once again.

"We just came to check on you, go back to sleep." Giving a reassuring smile, Jack re-tucked Ziza under the sheets. After the girl snuggled back into her previous position, Jack moved through the room slowly back over to where Riddick was. "I'm going to stay here tonight."

"No, you're going to rest. The kid'll be fine." Riddick went to help Jack walk back to the room, but was swatted at by her hand. Rubbing the back of his head, Riddick sighed. "Fine, I'll watch the kid." After receiving a smile from Jack, he immediately regretted his offer. "But this means you have to go back to bed, understand?"

Jack just shrugged in reply and pulled out a chair for Riddick to sit on. Once he took a seat, Jack pulled out one for herself. She plopped down on it and felt a pain go through her side. Her small wince apparently didn't go unnoticed by her companion.

"Ey, I thought I told you-" He was quickly silenced by the murmuring of the girl in the large bed. Once the noise stopped, he rethought what he was going to say, "Go to bed Jack."

Giving a slight smirk, Jack moved into a fetal position in the chair. "Goodnight Riddick."

Riddick shook his head, mad at himself for not catching onto the kid's cleverness. He'd really have to watch that from now on.

* * *

Jack was glad to have drifted off into a dreamless sleep, the premonitions of earlier not resurfacing. Riddick on the other hand was not having said luck, and shadowy figures decided to make an appearance in his dreams.

"_Well, well, well…if it isn't my favorite convict." A sneering voice came from the shadowed corner of the skiff. His voice was very familiar to Riddick, and also very unwanted. "What's my name Dickhead?"_

_Riddick scowled, tempted to spit at the man in front of him. "Fuck you, mother fucker." He took a punch to the face, but smirked in response. "That's right, get those shots in now, you won't be able to later."_

_Growling in frustration, the man turned his back to Riddick, simply restraining himself. "You know, I almost feel bad for you. The minute you got off that deserted rock, I could feel you getting closer to me. Everyone thought you were dead, the girl and the priest even confirmed it. Haha, you thought you had **me**. But I knew better, and look who's got who now."_

_Riddick could feel the sneer, even with the man's back turned. He remained unfazed and didn't feel the slightest intimidated. Currently, what the man said, it was true. Here Riddick was, chained to a chair in a corner of the ship. He was subject to whatever type of torture or punishment the captain could come up with…yet he remained unchanged. He knew that they were turning him in on some godforsaken planet, and he also knew that they thought they would get out of this alive. He knew that once this ship landed, they were all dead. But the best part…was that he knew that they **didn't** know. _

_Turning around, the man's eyes flashed and he moved closer to Riddick. "You best believe I was pretty pissed when I found out what you did to my brother." He moved his face back and kicked Riddick in frustration. But soon enough, a grin spread across his face. "I'm sure you'll be ecstatic to know that he's **very** much alive. That's a good thing for you, because of what I would've done if he wasn't." He watched in amusement as he could feel the convict roll his eyes behind his goggles. "Not to you Riddick…no, that would be too easy. To that priest you traveled with, and that little girl who you protected. I would kill everything and everyone close to you, just to watch you suffer."_

_Riddick growled and lunged, but the chains were restraining him. As he felt the anger rise in him, the man chuckled at his position. He found it difficult to keep his thoughts from becoming actions. **'I'll rip that smirk off your face, you son of a bitch!' **His muscles tightened as the man took a blade out of his pocket and pressed it up to Riddick's neck._

_He licked his lips as the smirk still played on his lips, "I'll save this move for the little girl. Well, after I have some fun with her of cour- ah!" He cursed as Riddick's knee came in contact with his groin. "Son of a- damn it!" The blade withdrew from Riddick's neck as the man clutched his most precious area. _

_Keeping his glare, Riddick had to force himself not to kill the man right there and then. Sure, they could threaten him as much as they wanted, but once they threatened Jack…it was no longer a game. The minute the man mentioned hurting Jack, Riddick had made a decision. Once he was in control of the ship, he was going to go get Jack and fulfill his promise. _

_The next part of his dream skipped ahead to Riddick face to face with the man from earlier, but this time unbound. His scream was heard as Riddick impaled a shiv into his stomach. Dead bodies littered the dirt on the planet beneath them, dead bodies of the crew to be precise. The man spit blood in Riddick's face as he clutched his wound. "I'll get you Riddick! You and everyone you care about! You're all dead, you hear me!" Riddick dragged a shiv across his chest and growled, "Say hi to Toombs for me." With that he threw the man out of the ship and watched him fall to the ground, unmoving._

* * *

Riddick awoke to the sound footsteps. Immediately he looked to his side to find Jack gone. Next he looked to the bed in the center of the room, covered in shadows. His eyes adjusted as he saw two bodies near the other side of the bed. At first he thought Jack had gotten up to check on Ziza again, so he got up and moved to the other side, only to freeze in his tracks.

Ziza had a large hand covering her mouth and water droplets spilling out of her eyes. A blade was stroking her chin and she stood pressed up against a larger body. She let out a whimper as she saw Riddick standing in front of her, motionless.

"Don't move. One step, and she's dead." The dark figure stood with Ziza shaking against him. He felt his mouth twitch up into a smirk as he looked toward the powerless Riddick. "You wouldn't want that, now would you?"

Riddick swallowed, looking at all of his options. Truthfully, none looked good. His eyes scanned the darkness by the two bodies, and his eyes widened as he saw another figure behind the two. The more he looked, the sooner he could tell that it was a feminine body…in pajamas.

Jack was slightly crouched behind Ziza's captor. She was surprised that the man hadn't noticed her sooner, but Jack had been looking for a distraction. Once she saw Riddick awaken, she knew that her distraction had come to her. As soon as her companion's eyes were focused on her, it was her signal to attack.

The man's grip on the blade loosened and the object eventually dropped to the floor. His hold on the smaller girl was no more as his hands trembled to touch the spot in his neck where a knife was now plunged.

Ziza ran crying to Riddick and squeezed him as hard as she could, the larger man covering her eyes. She heard sounds but her eyes didn't see the blood spilling out of the man's neck and mouth as Jack dislodged the knife from the soft tissue.

Jack shivered as her hand still held the bloodied knife and her pajamas were now stained crimson. Her head shot up as two more figures entered the room through the open window. She ran head on but one grabbed her arms, bending them back. She let out a cry and her limbs were stretched before she was released onto the floor.

Riddick had pushed Ziza out of the door to the hallway, telling her to go find the holyman. He rushed Jack's holder and sent him flying into the wall. He felt a sharp pain in his side as the second merc had stabbed him. He cursed as he turned around to cut into the man. More blood sprayed as he heard the cries of the man dying. But the man's cries were not alone as they were accompanied with higher pitched ones, Jack's. Riddick felt himself reach out to kill whoever forced those screams out of her.

Jack coughed up a small amount of blood as she was punched in the stomach. She had managed to cut the man's arm, but her attempts were futile with her previous injury still aching. She felt herself falling to the ground as a booted foot pressed violently on her head. The weight was suddenly gone as she heard a low growl and the breaking of bones. She willed herself to stand up, but tumbled into a pair of arms. She looked up and sighed, thankful to see Riddick.

The metallic smell of blood hung heavily in the air as the two stood there for a moment. Three bodies were now presently covered in the red liquid and lifeless in their places. The saddest part was the battlefield, a child's room, now painted with the enemy's blood. This was a nightmare turned reality, and was not yet over.

Jack felt like throwing up, the smell of rotting flesh now present. She tugged on Riddick, begging him to take her away from this place. She stilled her eyes to only look forward, helping her focus on moving to the door. Her teeth gritted as she collapsed in pain against the larger man.

Lifting Jack up in his arms, Riddick himself was all too eager to leave the room. He was used to seeing this by now, but he felt like a monster to have Jack see it too. Moving out of the room, he was greeted by fresh air and no more blood. He walked downstairs to Imam's study, where he was sure the holyman was. Once he reached the study, he found Imam standing next to the open window, silent.

Jack was surprised to see tears flowing freely down her adoptive father's face, a solemn expression accompanying them. She looked around for the little girl, her eyes scanning frantically for the small body. "Imam, where is-"

Imam held up a small piece of paper, illuminated by the moonlight. "Th- they took her." His eyes squeezed shut as a small cry spilled from his lips. "They took my daughter!"

Riddick had set Jack down and moved over to take the slip of paper from the broken man. He watched as Jack's face twisted into anger and sadness. Looking down at the note, he unfolded it and angled it into the light.

_**Dickyboy-**_

_**I told you this was going to happen.**_


	9. Don't Leave Me Again

A/N: Wow…it's been a really long time. I thoroughly apologize for my absence! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!! Finally I get a day basically to myself, so I was really trying to finish this. I will make no excuses this time, I could, but I won't. There have been some questions on whether I will finish this or not, and I just want to say that I plan on finishing it. I'm almost positive, but I don't know how long it will take unfortunately. T.T But just hold tight, and once again thank you for all of your support!! I love you guys really!

Disclaimer: I once again, Do. Not. Own. Anything. Of. Importance.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the story!

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* * *

Ch.9 Don't Leave Me Again**

The escapades of last night were now in the back of Jack's mind along with the images of a crimson painted room. Riddick had disposed of the bodies while she was sleeping, but the blood was still there. It had stained the walls, and now served as a reminder of Ziza's capture. Other reminder's were of course present, like the fact that she had about 5 bruises on her body, and there was no little girl at her side telling her about her school day.

Jack's eyes scanned over the list she had written out of things to take on their rescue mission. Imam had been against her going at first, but a few small promises from Riddick and he quickly warmed up to the idea. Of course, the promises made Jack laugh because they just got more and more amusing. It started off with just vowing to take care of her, and ended with wearing protection. Jack was dying of laughter after Riddick's eyebrows rose about all the way up his forehead. Of course before that he had promised not to try anything funny in the first place, but every promise was a grunt, which was obvious Imam just wasn't happy with. There was also a promise to let her rest from her injury a little longer, but Riddick didn't seem to be listening. It was obvious that even with the joking around, this was still a very serious matter, and everyone was having a hard time coping. Imam had personally wished them good luck, and given her a small charm that represented Allah to watch over her. After that, Jack had immediately begun preparation. "First aid kit?"

"Check." Watching Jack slide her pen across the paper, Trey smiled triumphantly. Although at first he was skeptical himself about letting Jack go back into action so quick, he figured he wouldn't wait very long if it was him either. The news of Ziza being kidnapped came to him as a total surprise, and Trey was quick to try and help. Luckily, Jack agreed to let him come along. He found that he was good at helping Jack organize everything correctly, and it was definitely necessary, contradictory to _someone's_ belief. Of course that someone was the scary, yet protective (of Jack) man in the corner named Riddick. As soon as Jack proposed the idea of Trey coming along, Riddick immediately said no. Well, a little more than no, more like, 'HELL NO! WHAT THE FUCK JACK?! I WILL NOT BE COVERING HIS ASS-' You get the idea.

Looking at the next item, Jack almost felt like she was going on vacation. Of course that thought made her beat herself up because this was no where near a vacation. "luggage?"

"Jack-" A very irritated Riddick cut in. He had already gotten everything ready ahead of time, and they had planned to leave an hour ago. The only reason they were still here was because of that idiot Trey. He was the one who wanted to double check _everything_, it was just stupid.

"Check!" Trey cut off the older man and smiled at Jack. "I think that's everything right?"

Nodding her head slightly, Jack looked back at Riddick. "Didn't you say you were going to get me some new weapons?" Her hopeful expression died when she received a frown.

"That will have to wait kid, we need to leave now. The clearance window for the port closes in two hours. We don't have time to play around." Standing up, he stretched his arms a little getting ready to carry the over stuffed luggage. Reaching down and grabbing the bags, he shook his head. "This is just ridiculous."

Poking the man in the stomach, Jack gave a shrug. "I told you it would be easier for me to just carry it, that way you could get there faster." Sighing she turned to her balcony, "Anyway, we don't have time for this, let's go." She opened the double doors out to the balcony, and looked back at the two boys. "How much time do we have Riddick?"

Watching the busy crowd go through the streets, Riddick gauged how much time it would take carefully. The plan was for him to leave in his own direction, at his own speed considering he was technically still on the run. Jack and Trey would leave as well, but there was no way they could travel with him. If it had only been Jack and he it would have been much easier, keeping in mind that her speed would match closer to his. Now that Trey was thrown in the mix, it made everything more complicated. "I'll give you 30minutes."

"What? There's no way-" Trey was completely thrown off guard. It would take at least an hour to get to the port; there was no way they could possibly make it there in an hour.

"30minutes or I leave you here." Riddick was not in the mood for arguing. It was his way or well…his way.

Trey almost laughed at how ludicrous it sounded. "You're joking, you wouldn't leave us here."

Jack had all about had enough. If there was one thing she learned from Riddick, it was that he did not joke around when he had somewhere to be. "We'll be there in 30minutes."

Riddick nodded, internally smirking at Trey's expense. His eyes traveled to the silver chain around her neck, and down to the tags that were buried underneath her shirt. _'That's my girl.'_ "Move!"

* * *

Running through the alleyways and dodging the crowd, Jack felt like she was flying. Only occasionally did she remember to look back and check on Trey. Luckily, he had not lost her, but he wasn't exactly next to her either. Their training together had made sure they were somewhat in the same league with each other, but this test of speed and endurance was definitely Jack's game. Running over the directions in her head, she turned the corner quickly, making note of any faster ways to get around the slowly moving mass of people. So far they had been sticking to the back alleys, but Jack knew that there had to be some other way. If only she could just remember….

"Jack!" Trey's voice was exasperated already although they had only been traveling for 15minutes. "Even at this pace there's no way we'll make it in time!"

Leading them through another back alley, she started to climb up a fire escape on one of the taller buildings. "You don't get it, he's testing me. He wants to know what I'm capable of, even if I'm still recovering. Riddick doesn't like to carry around extra baggage, so I need to prove myself useful." Lifting up onto the flat rooftop, she took a second to look over the golden colored city. "All I've ever wanted was to be someone important to him, this is my only shot." She looked back to see a distant Trey, "We'll make it!" With that she ran across the roof and jumped off, her arms extending to let her hands grab the silver bars on the next rooftop. She pulled herself up with only a little struggle, and continued on.

To say that he wasn't hurt by the girl's words would be a lie, but to say that he wasn't swayed in his decision to protect her would be true. This was why he had to keep going, to fulfill his promise, even if he wasn't the most important to her. Trey reluctantly followed suit, but swallowed his nerves for the sake of not being left behind.

5minutes later, Jack was climbing down the nearest fire escape. With that rooftop route, she had figured that their time had been reduced by about ten minutes. This was a good sign, but she was almost positive that Riddick had already made it to his ship. She wasn't exactly sure how much time they had left, so she quickly glanced down at her wristwatch. "8 minutes Trey." Even though she yelled that back to him, she knew that they had a little more time then that. Even though she was in pain, she wanted to be safe. "Pick up the pace."

Trey looked at her back disbelievingly; they were already going faster than he had ever gone in his life for this period of time. He was astonished to see her move even further in front of him. Willing his legs to move faster, he almost tripped over himself. Luckily for him, the port command center was now in view. "Jack! I see-" He was surprised to hear a whimper escape his comrade's lips as she fell sideways, clutching her side. Running as fast as he could, his arms reached out to catch her.

Jack gritted her teeth and braced herself for the incoming smack into the dirt. Surprisingly, it never came. Instead, she felt something softer holding her she looked up to see Trey's worried face. Sighing, she tried to adjust her feet so she could stand. "Thanks, I don't know what happened. I guess I must have stretched it too much." It was obvious she knew that's exactly what happened considering the red stain on the side of her white shirt. She paid no mind to freshly ripped open wound.

Helping Jack stand up, Trey was visibly worried and his voice didn't help any. "You should take it easy once we get there. In the meantime, can't we slow up a little? C'mon Jack."

Steeling her face to not show the pain that was currently coursing through her body, Jack shook her head. "No! Fuck, I told you we're going to make it!" Pushing away from Trey, she ignored his protests and started to move again. Her hand subconsciously found it's way to the dog tags around her neck, _'I won't let him leave me again.'_

* * *

A tall pale man with short brown hair bent down to look at the small girl in the corner of the cell. "Good morning, you sleep well?" He blew out a slow stream of cigar smoke and watched the little girl cover her nose. "Hmmm." A small smile crossed his features as he turned and walked away from the girl. Walking past the guards he turned to talk to them. "She won't be a problem, no need to make her feel uncomfortable." The eerie smile stayed plastered on his face as he heard a "yes boss".

The doors closing behind him, he walked down the corridor and into his private section of the ship. He pushed a button on the wall, "Maxwell, your presence is requested in my office immediately."

Grumbling as he rolled off of the bed, Max knew he was probably in trouble. He had never actually received any good news from his boss, so he didn't exactly expect any now. There had been some talk of a girl being held prisoner in the ship, but he highly doubted it was the one he had encountered himself. Sure, it was possible, but extremely unlikely. Brushing the invisible dust particles off of himself, he adjusted his clothing slightly. It was slightly wrinkled from being slept on all night, but that was to be expected when you fall asleep in your daily clothes. Exiting his room, he headed for his boss' room. Trying to control his nerves, he looked over at the guard next to the office entrance. The man clad in black metal and a blaster pistol smirked and nodded for Max to go in. Max felt as if the man was smiling at the fact that he wouldn't come back out alive. It was possible.

"Come in, come in." Leaning back in his chair, he rapped his knuckles against the table. Sensing the other man was about to say something, he cut in quickly "I would offer you a cigar, but I don't like you that much". Picking up a piece of paper he had apparently already read a couple of times over, his eyes glanced between the text and Max. "I have a new assignment for you, it's simple really."

Swallowing nervously, Max wasn't so sure his boss was really being accurate with the true difficulty. The pleasant smile that had now graced the older man's face served as a signal that Max was correct in his assumptions. The slow swivel of his employer's chair was making him more and more nervous.

"I just want you to welcome them with open arms. Also, I hear they might have someone traveling with them, make sure you find out who that is. I'll clear you for on of the mini drop ships. That is all." With that, he motioned for Max to leave.

Eagerly nodding, Max stood up and left as fast as he could. He had some preparation to do.

* * *

Out of breath and feeling as if she was going to pass out, Jack was relieved to see Riddick standing on a small ship's ramp. "Riddick!"

A small growl signaled for her to be quiet as Riddick stepped aside for the two. He watched the content sigh and the smile fall on Jack's face, and he himself felt relieved. He wasn't sure if she would be able to make it here with her injuries, and if that was the case, he would've left her. As much as he hated to admit it, there was always that chance that her injuries were still too severe to put stress on them. He couldn't have let her get hurt because he was too stupid to know her body just couldn't handle it. Luckily, he wasn't put in that position.

Following Jack, as to be expected Trey received a glare from Riddick. By now he had grown used to playing games with the older man, and he realized back on the rooftops that Riddick had the upper hand. Jack seemed pretty certain in whom she'd pick, but that didn't deter Trey in the slightest. Snapping out of his little trance, Trey realized he had been standing in the doorway. Moving out of the way, he watched the back of Jack run around the ship in excitement.

"Sweet, a pistol with actual bullets!" Picking up a gun that was located in a crate in the back of the cargo hold, she cocked it and admired its beauty. "I could get used to this." She didn't even realize Riddick was behind her until she felt calloused hands over her own.

"Good, you're going to have to get pretty comfortable real quick. It's not as easy to aim as it looks." He took the small pistol from her grip and rotated it on his finger, palm finding the grip he aimed it at a stain on the wall. "This one's got sights too."

Admiring the smooth black metal she reached out to touch it, but her side wouldn't let her feel the cold shiny surface. "Is there anywhere I can lay down?"

Looking over behind his goggles, Riddick nodded. "Next room over is yours, I'm going to start up the ship and get us out of here." Watching Jack smile appreciatively, he moved to the doorway. "Tell your boyfriend not to touch anything or I won't hesitate to throw him off the ship."

Watching Riddick do another one of his infamous disappearing acts, Jack sighed tiredly. Following suit and walking out of the doorway, she looked down the hall at the two metal doors next to the room she was in. Feeling curiosity take over, Jack went over to the first door. Pushing the button for the door to open, she was greeted with a large white bed in the center. There were metallic blue cabinets next to the bed, and there was tan carpet in this room. She had seriously underestimated how nice this ship really was. The Hunter Gratzner had nothing on this.

"It's nice; I take it that's our room?" Trey's voice rang out from behind Jack and he smirked as she turned around. He hadn't expected the shocked expression that followed that question.

Blinking a couple of times in disbelief, Jack was slightly confused by his choice of words and wanted to make sure she heard correctly. "Our room?"

Trey nodded, "Well, there's only one more room with a bed on this ship, and it's definitely "Big, Bad and Mean's" room."

Jack almost laughed, "How can you tell?" She almost expected him to say something like there's bars on the door and lasers so you can't get in. Jack remembered when she had been with Riddick when she was young. He only let her in his room at night, and that was only when she snuck in of her own accord. After that, he'd kick her out every morning. Jack knew that he could've caught her anytime he wanted, but she liked to think that he really wanted her there.

"Well, let's see, how about the guns and knives everywhere. I mean _everywhere_." Noticing the small giggle that escaped the girl's lips, he figured that she wasn't surprised. "So I guess I'll take the floor tonight?"

"No, you can have the bed; I'll probably be up all night anyway. The first night in space is always rough for me." While she was telling the truth, there was also a little part of her that knew she would end up falling asleep. She always did eventually, but usually in some odd place like in the co-pilot's seat…or on Riddick.

Suddenly the shaking of the ship signaled that they were taking off. "He must've gotten clearance already. I-I have something to confess…." Trey said kind of awkwardly.

Jack raised and eyebrow as she leaned against the doorframe, "Trey-"

"I've only been on a ship once in my life! I'm just a little nervous, not much, really! I just start to ramble a little, of course that's after a feel that initial take off JOLT-" A spark of electricity zipped up Trey's spine. The ship had already started to increase altitude and speed.

Jack gripped her friend's shoulder's, trying to calm him down. "Relax, just breathe you idiot." She openly laughed at him and guided him over to the bed. Helping him lay down, she looked down at him from a sitting position. Shaking her head disapprovingly at him, she played with his hair. "Pussy."

Trey crossed his arms and gave a fake glare. "Hard ass!" He soon gave in to laughing and grabbed a pillow, hitting Jack in the head with it.

"Hey!" Jack ripped the pillow from his hands and retaliated with her own smack over the head. Soon she had joined him in laughing, and laying down on the bed. "Trey, what happened to your family?"

Looking up at the ceiling, Trey reflected on his past. "My parents were killed when I was little, and I was forced to live with my uncle's. I stayed with one of them until he got tired of me and gave me to my other uncle. After that, I was sent to New Mecca and given enough money to live off of. Neither of my uncle's ever really wanted custody over me, so they decided it would be better if I took care of myself. I haven't seen them in a while, but one of them used to contact me occasionally. He was always the nicer one, but neither of them were very nice people to begin with. In New Mecca, my nicer uncle bought me a house and sent me off to school. That's it really, not really a great adventure like yours." He looked over to see Jack looking up at the ceiling now.

At that last comment she had to smile, "Adventure? Sure, I guess so. The only reason is because of-"

"-Riddick, I know." Trey found himself almost spitting out Riddick's name, even though he hadn't meant to. Riddick was still winning, but in the end Trey knew he would win Jack over. It was only a matter of time.

They had only been laying there for about another 15minutes when they heard a low yell coming from the pilot's room. Jack was the first to respond as she shot up and ran out of the room. Trey trailed behind the girl, confused as to what was going on.

Barging into the large room, Jack looked to the pilot's seat. "Riddick, what's-" Her eye's scanned the large screen in front of him and noticed the two red dots. "It's them isn't it?"

Taking the ship out of auto pilot, Riddick didn't even glance back at the two in the doorway. "Get strapped in kids, we're going to go say hello."

Immediately seating herself next to Riddick, Jack understood what he really meant. "Rule 1: Don't fuck with Riddick."


	10. Fear

A/N: Well, well, well! I must say it's been a while. I say that while extremely sorry for the inconvenience. My excuses are always that I'm busy and I apologize sincerely. (I'm not saying they aren't true!) Really, I went and re-read the last chapter and got excited about writing the next chapter. I hope things turn out like that for the rest of the chapters- quicker updates! But I can't promise anything right now unfortunately. Anyway, thank you everyone for your continued (long-term) support! I really do love you all:)** As Always, R&R!!!** (can it be bolded enough?)

Disclaimer: I don't own (For the tenth time) anything remotely close to Pitch Black, or Riddick.

Finally, enjoy!

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* * *

Ch. 10 Fear **

You know that feeling you get when you're friend hides behind the door of a dark room, then all of a sudden jumps out at you and you're so scared you want to wet yourself? Yeah, that was nothing in comparison to this. Trey was scared as fuck.

"Shit! Riddick-" Jack was now looking worriedly at her friend beside her who looked like he was about to pass out. She hadn't noticed when his face had gotten so white, or when his eyes started to roll up in his head. It was pathetic really….

The man at the controls gave a low growl as he dodged some more of the enemy ship's attacks. He let out a range of powerful blaster cannon shots, but they only did so much damage to the other advance ship. "Damn it!"

With each sharp jerk and turn, Trey felt his insides do a flip and he pushed down the vile substance moving slowly up his throat. He could hardly hear anything, and Jack's stream of curses in his ear wasn't helping any. "Jack…oh…god" With that he started to wretch violently.

Jack closed her eyes and sat back as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is not happening…." She looked briefly over at Trey's hunched over form and tried to ignore his lunch that was now on his lap. "Riddick-"

Smelling a foul substance, Riddick lost focus for a second to look at the boy unfortunately sitting next to him. After seeing the boy's disposition, he gave a sharp glare in Jack's direction. "If any of that shit gets on my ship-"

"Now's not the time Riddick!" Jack pointed to the shots being fired at them currently. She silently thanked him when he maneuvered the ship flawlessly out of harm. "We can't keep this up or we're done for!"

Riddick's eyes flashed underneath the black goggles, "I don't plan to." With that, he flipped the switch for the thrusters to turn on. All of a sudden, they took off with breakneck speed. "Hold on."

"You're not planning to-" Jack's eyes widened as they were hit with one of the shots fired by the enemy drop ship. Now she knew exactly what he was going to do, and she didn't like it one bit. "Oh shit!"

Riddick gritted his teeth as their ship slammed straight into the drop ship. Naturally, the drop ship was smaller than theirs, so they had the advantage. Also, they had been traveling at crazy speeds before the impact, which meant momentum was also on their side. The sound of hard metal scraping against each other screeched in Riddick's ears, but he didn't let up for a second.

Jack had felt her body go completely numb in shock before the impact, and now she was currently curled up in the fetal position. Her eyes opened slowly as the shaking subsided and her heart dropped to her stomach. She watched as the other ship was blown into pieces. She felt herself shivering amidst the overwhelming heat in the cockpit. Silent tears fell down her cheeks as she felt like she should have died.

Sweat glistened on his forehead as his breathing was erratic. He looked at the control screen for how much damage they had taken. Luckily, only the front and the underside of the ship had been smashed slightly. Riddick leaned back in his chair, but quickly sat up when he saw a small white pod floating toward the main ship. He felt like laughing, "So, the bastard escaped after all." He quickly set the controls on auto pilot to the place he had previously called home, for recuperation purposes. Riddick highly doubted the main ship would be following him. They would come to him later. He glanced at Jack, who was currently shaking violently and his face immediately fell. "Damn it kid..."

Jack was unaware of when Riddick had curled his arms protectively around her, nor when he had picked her up. She felt that it was now safe enough to close her eyes again, and she leaned against his stiff muscles. Her breathing slowed only slightly, but the tears had stopped. She never felt when Riddick laid her down, or when he kissed her forehead comfortingly. She was too far gone.

Riddick turned out the light in the room, internally hitting himself for being so stupid. He had almost forgotten that she was still a kid, and he let the animal in him take hold of the fight. Suddenly he remembered something, or rather someone. He walked into the cockpit and looked at how much of a mess Trey was. Shaking his head, he proceeded to clean the boy up for the sake of the smell. "Damn kids."

* * *

Max sat shaking, watching the last bits of his drop ship float off into space. What in the hell just happened? That could've been him in pieces! He never thought that guy was that much of a psychopath. As one part of him was still in shock, the other part of him knew he probably shouldn't be going back to the main ship. There would no doubt be a lot of yelling, and threatening of his life. Sighing tiredly, he continued to steer toward the ship…despite his better judgment. 

Once he was cleared for entry, his small pod landed roughly on the landing strip. Once on the hard ground, Max took a few minutes to calm his nerves. Besides, the boss couldn't be too angry with him, it's not like he expected him to kill them anyway…right? Letting his head make contact with the steering wheel, a long sigh escaped his lips.

Finally willing himself to move from his stiff position, he climbed solemnly out of the pod. He was unfortunately greeted by a few of the men who had no qualms about locking him up to starve in a cold, dark room. They would no doubt take pleasure in issuing his punishment later.

One of the large men stepped in front of Max, grinning despite the boy's failure. "The boss is looking for you, I suggest you move fast little bitch!" A chorus of laughter and snickering followed his comment as the men circled around Max. The brute that had spoken up chose this time to point his gun right on the side of Max's head. He looked slightly crazed while he licked his lips hungrily. "Boys, I don't think he fucking heard me!"

"That's enough!" A loud voice echoed throughout the hanger from behind the crowd of bulky masses. The sound of steps that followed was slow and they seemed almost as if they were each carefully calculated. Hard eyes watched the sea of men disperse and they slowly moved to the young man in the middle. His face and movements stayed controlled as he strode toward Max.

Max felt his breath hitch in his throat as the cold man inched closer and closer. He could feel the man's eyes burning holes in him and he had to refrain himself from squirming. Once the man was standing directly in front of him, Max realized he had stopped breathing. Now getting a good look at him, he swallowed, desperate to wet his dying throat. It was his boss.

"Leave us." He waited idly as his 'loyal subjects' left him with Max. His fingers tapped against his pocket, and he pulled out a single white glove. He pulled it carefully around his hand, looking at it intently. He stopped all movement, only to look up at the sweaty man in front of him. His teeth grinding together slightly, he brought his gloved hand across the man's cheek quickly. It was a quick slap, but it was intended to leave an impression. Noticing Max wince, his eyes wide with shock, he turned away from him. "Maybe next time, you'll do what I ask, and do it right."

As soon as his boss turned his back to him, Max's hand flew up to his bruised cheek. A small trickle of blood ran down the side of his mouth, he silently cursed as he wiped it off on the back of his hand. There was no doubt in his mind that the glove was to make sure there would be no blood on his hand. That was simply the way his boss worked, although he had never expected this.

* * *

Jack woke up slowly, feeling only the light vibrating of the ship. Eyes fluttering open, she looked around her surroundings. She didn't quite recognize them at first, the room was definitely different than the one she was in yesterday. _'Yesterday! Oh man…he must really think I'm a kid. This must be his room…that explains all the knives.'_ Jack rolled out of bed, only feeling a slight pain in her side now. Apparently, she was healing up okay after all. Finding her footing on the tan carpeting, she moved carefully around the room. You never knew where Riddick put trip wires and shit. 

Looking over on one of the tall mantles, she saw a folded picture. She smoothed it out, trying to flatten out all of the creases. A small gasp escaped her lips as she stared at her younger self and Riddick. It was the only picture they had taken together on the skiff after the crash. She remembered sneaking off ship and buying an instant photo camera at port. Little Jack wanted to secretly take all the pictures she could of Riddick and keep them with her all the time. Of course he had found the camera, but instead of destroying it, he had Imam take a picture of them. She had been so elated when the photo came out of the camera; the men thought her face would freeze in a perpetual smile. She had set the photo on the pillow next to her that night and went to sleep. Waking up the next morning, the photo was gone. That was the first time she cried in front of the iron giant and he ignored her the entire day.

Eventually she forgot about it, but now…it was right in front of her. _'That son of a bitch hid it from me!'_ Jack took a few moments to glare at the photo in her hands, but her eyes soon softened as she thought of the reasons he would take it. _'I knew he didn't want to leave me.'_ A low voice cut into her thoughts and she turned around quickly to meet its owner's silver eyes.

"Didn't I teach you not to go through my stuff?" Riddick could tell that the girl had found something interesting by the look in her eyes. He internally cursed for putting her in his room; there were a lot of things he didn't want her to see. "What's in you're hand?"

Jack's finger's tightened around the picture slightly, but she pulled it from around her back nonetheless. "I thought I had lost it…." She didn't have to ask him why he took and kept it, it was pretty obvious now. Still, that was a mean trick to pull on a little girl. "I cried like a baby that day…." She moved quickly toward him, finding another angry comment to throw at him. "You ignored me the entire time…." She found herself an inch away from him now, her heated eyes focused on him. "And you took it! Then hid it!" By now, an accusing finger was poking forcefully into Riddick's chest. "_And_ I bet you looked at it every night I was gone." Her eyes didn't leave his for even a second.

At first Riddick thought she was going to slap him, he figured he perhaps deserved it, but she proved him wrong and he found himself smirking. He found his hand running down the side of her face and cradling her chin to pull her face toward him. "_Every_ night."

Jack could've sworn she had gone lightheaded when he touched her face, and she trembled only slightly for the same reason. She could feel his warm breath on her mouth and she unconsciously licked her lips. As soon as she felt herself rock forward, a loud knocking jolted her away from Riddick.

Jack's eyes moved immediately to the door, and she only guessed Riddick was irritated as hell. Moving the mass of muscle that was Riddick, she opened the door to a panicky looking Trey. "What is it?"

You have no idea how much Riddick wanted to strangle to scrawny kid in the doorway. So far all the boy had been was trouble, and the fact that he had interrupted their…eh…moment, pissed him off to no end. He had no problems with blowing the boys brains out right there and then, but Jack would eat him alive.

Trey gave a sigh of relief at seeing Jack's face in the doorway. "I was looking everywhere for you guys! I thought you left me here! What happened while I was knocked out anyway? Oh and thanks for…ya know, cleaning me u-"

Putting a finger to Trey's lips, Jack cut him off. "You're rambling. Where did you think we would go? Were in space Trey!" Rolling her eyes, she handed the photo to Riddick and moved out into the hallway to walk with Trey.

Riddick watched the two walk away into the kitchen and he let out a sigh he hadn't known to be holding. Closing the door to his room, he walked over and set his favorite picture back where Jack found it. Opening the drawer under it, he looked down at a half empty bottle of vodka. He needed something to make himself feel better, something strong preferably.

* * *

After grabbing a quick breakfast in the kitchen, Jack found it her duty to explain at least some of what was going on to Trey. "See this? This is the coordinate map of the M-344/G system we're in. Right now, the coordinates are set toward Taurus 3 or T-3 for short. It's where the Hunter Gratzner, the ship Riddick and I were on before, was headed in the first place." Jack stated these off as basic facts to an on looking Trey. She looked at the grid carefully then her eyes fell on the space ahead of them. "I find it kind of strange though, I mean that he would want to go somewhere so populous." 

Thumb and finger poised carefully on his chin, Trey thought about this information for a second. "Actually, it makes perfect sense. He probably went here because of the fact that it was populous. Just think about it, it's harder to find someone in a crowd than in open space. As long as he had a good disguise, it makes the merc's work harder to get him. Obviously this worked if we're going back."

Thinking this over, Jack nodded content with his answer. "I understand why we're going there instead of just grabbing Ziza; he wants to make sure we're prepared. I'm not quite sure the specific supplies he's going for, I mean considering all the weapons that are already on board."

Riddick's familiar baritone voice cut in as usual, "Actually, we're going to do just the opposite. We have too many supplies right now, we need to lighten up." He watched the teenager's curious glances carefully, noting how Jack seemed to understand his plan before Trey. Riddick smirked and left the two once again, thinking.

Trey glanced at the girl in the pilot's seat, wondering exactly what was going on. "Why would we be lightening the load? Won't we need it all?" Receiving a simple shake of auburn hair, he sighed. "Well at least tell me what's going on."

Jack gave a small shrug in his direction, "Truthfully, all I know is that he's planning something only he would do."

"Something only he would do?" Trey raised an eyebrow at this, not liking where the conversation was going.

Fingers gripping the sides of her arms, Jack looked outside the window. "Something scary as hell."


	11. Brothers

A/N: Whew! Finally done with this chapter! WOOT! You'll be excited to know that there is a lot more tension between Riddick and Jack coming up in the next few chapters. I'm excited, that's all I'm going to say. Thank you for all of your WONDERFUL reviews! I really, really, really, really, REALLY appreciate them. As always, **R&R!!!!**

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* * *

Ch.11 Brothers**

"So, what you're saying is that we're going to infiltrate the base and get captured on _purpose_, this way we can save Ziza how?" Jack's eyebrow was raised unbelievingly at what Riddick had just told her. Even after saying the plan aloud, she still thought it was crazy.

"You're thinking too small Jack." Riddick took a sip of the fiery liquid in his glass, not caring that he had already had 5 other's. He didn't think it would be this much trouble to explain something so simple to his right hand…well, girl. "We'll hijack a rogue ship, ride it into the base taking on the pilot's identity. Then, it gets messy. We get 'captured' but just until they take us to the boss. We'll take him out, grab the kid and get out of there…more or less."

"More or less?" Jack was now aware of how heavily Riddick must've been drinking. Her hands pulled the dark glass away from him, and she shook her head. "How about we skip the messy stuff and just go in and grab Ziza and leave. See, much simpler." Jack was slightly taken aback by the glare she was receiving through his goggles.

"This isn't fucking simple Jack. No matter how much your pretty little head wants it to be." Grabbing the glass back from the girl, he drank the rest of it down quickly. "None of this is goddamn simple! What did you expect staying with me? I'm a goddamn killer Jack! _You _said you wanted me to come back for you. _You_ wanted to stay with me! Is that still what you want, huh?"

_Riddick…._ Jack bit her bottom lip, wishing that it was just the alcohol talking. She knew more than anyone that his life was anything but simple, that he had murdered many and would continue as long as he had to. It was fact, but she had learned to accept it long ago. Didn't he understand this? "_You _kept your promise to me. _You_ could've left me. I knew what I was getting myself into the moment I asked. I still want the same things Riddick. Do you?" Tears stung at the corners of her eyes, but she shielded them with the long hair in her face. Jack waited as he said nothing, looking away from her. She stood, and began to walk past Riddick before being yanked downward into his lap.

Strong hands pulled her toward him, one arm over chest and the other her stomach. Riddick's head rested on the nape of her neck, breathing in her scent. He felt her relax against him slightly, but he didn't let his grip loosen at all. "This is what I want."

Closing tired eyes, Jack sighed against him. _How much longer…can we play this game?_

* * *

"We're approaching T-3, we'll be needing clearance in a few minutes." Trey was watching the coordinate map closely; Jack's previous explanation had excited him some. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Jack pace nervously.

"Do you know how dangerous this is? How are we going to pull this off? Riddick, what is he thinking?" Hands swinging around frantically, she whimpered at the thought of having to wear a disguise. _Stupid baldy!_ Currently she was clad in a long black skirt, a long sleeve tan shirt and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She had cursed Riddick the moment she found out he snuck the black skirt into her suitcase. The usually present dog tags were hidden underneath her shirt, for she refused to take them off. Then again, she had to laugh when looking at Trey and his disguise. She felt kind of…well, lucky.

Trey sighed, glaring at Jack with her evil expression. He was currently trying to ignore the fact that he was wearing a dark blue dress and that his black hair was combed neatly beneath a blue ribbon. Although he was currently exuding femininity, make no mistake that he put up a fight. He had only given in when the cool pistol pressed up to his forehead clicked, signaling that one pull of the trigger and he would be a ghost.

Their first get up was one that Trey wasn't too happy with. Riddick had told them the scenario last night, it not being not short of boring. Jack figured that was the point though, to be normal was to be just like everyone else. That was exactly what they needed. So, the story went: Robert Radley and Jacquelyn Radley were on vacation with their daughter, Taylor, traveling to a resort for the weekend. They had to stop to get a few supplies for the remaining trip, and T-3 was the closest docking station.

Riddick strolled in, walking past Jack and bypassing Trey, or rather Taylor. Turning on the monitor for incoming messages, he adjusted the dark sunglasses Jack had bought for him.

Jack's voice chimed in and he turned off the screen at what she said. "You know, they figured out it was you when we tried this on John's ship. Maybe it will work if I try it." Her voice was a little uncertain, but Riddick seemed to run it over carefully.

"What makes you think that you can get away with it if he couldn't?" Trey was the one to ask this, but he was quick to shut up when at the receiving end of Jack's glare.

"That's simple, I'm not a convict." Giving an annoyed roll of her eyes, Jack moved over to the pilot chair. Waving her hand at Riddick to get up, she was slightly surprised when he simply gave a grunt and complied. She turned the message screen back on so that the space-cam was activated. When the cheery face of a clearance administrator showed up on the screen, Jack's nerves came on full force.

A young man with short sandy colored hair and pale skin greeted Jack with a smile. "So, what are you coming into T-3 for, mam? Also, how many people are accompanying you?" His bright green eyes seemed to take in the girl's appearance carefully even over the poorly lit screen.

Jack smiled nervously, trying not to glance over at Riddick. "I'm taking my husband and daughter on vacation; we're stopping to get supplies. It's just the three of us; I'm the pilot." She silently hoped that Riddick put in the owners of the ship under their codenames. _This better work._

The man's eyes scanned something to his right, "Okay, let's see here…and you are Mrs. Radley?" Jack waited until the man looked at her before nodding and smiling in affirmation. Seeming to accept this answer, the admin flipped through a couple pieces of paper and looked back up. "And how long do you plan on staying here?" Jack didn't even blink before answering, "A couple of days at most, it's a quick stop". Smiling at this, the admin pushed the papers to the side. "Alright, you're all set! You're dock number is 82466. If you're not gone by the third day, we'll be checking up on you okay?" Giving a nod, Jack sighed, but Riddick was the one who clicked off the screen. They exchanged silent words, their eyes locking for only a split second.

"It worked!" Trey cut in between the two, feeling like it was a good enough time to interject. He seemed not to believe that they wouldn't get caught, and had been secretly worrying. He looked over at Jack, giving her a reassuring smile.

Riddick scoffed, preparing the ship for landing. "Of course it worked, but don't get too happy. We've got a lot of work to do."

* * *

Stepping out of the ship, Riddick's dark trench coat billowed behind him. He spared Jack a glance to gauge her expression carefully. Seeing a quick flash of fear surface, he pulled her behind him. Apparently the men walking around found Jack to be eye candy. He noticed Trey looked like he was going to murder them and Riddick shot him a look. He growled out a "Taylor…" and Trey quickly changed his expression.

Jack caught the look Riddick sent Trey and realized that they were acting a little out of character. Her hand reached over to grasp her taller 'daughter's' hand. At one point Jack wondered why Trey wasn't the wife instead of her considering he was taller, but as soon as the thought came, she immediately got the image of Riddick shooting his new 'wife'. Trying to ignore this memory, she gave a nervous laugh and earned curious glances from onlookers.

Maneuvering quickly amongst the crowd, Riddick looked back only occasionally to make sure the two were still behind him. Bypassing beggars and the occasional prostitute sending him glances, he eventually found the place he was looking for. A large building stood tall, shrouding the trio in darkness, the blinking sign only half lit. Stopping and pulling Jack toward the side, he turned her toward the brick of the building. "Go across the street to the store on the left, not the right. Once you're in, buy whatever you think we'll need and don't look at anyone, got it? Stay in that same store, and don't leave until you see me. Take the kid, don't go anywhere alone. Understand? Number one rule: don't you _dare_ look at anyone."

Jack nodded reluctantly, wondering why it was so important for her not to look at people. She decided against asking, ruling that whatever he said was law.

Riddick watched her through his sunglasses, making sure she was really listening. His mouth came next to her ear, taking in the cologne smell of her shampoo. "What's the number one rule Jack?"

"Don't look at anyone." Once she heard him whisper 'Go', she was off with Trey in a matter of seconds.

Crossing the street, Jack tried to look as though she was merely taking a stroll in the park. Subconsciously squeezing Trey's hand, she pulled open the door to the small grocery store. The store manager greeted her, and although startled, she replied with a curt wave. Looking over at Trey, she noticed the stern, manly expression on his face. Deciding to elbow him discretely, Jack bent down to look at the short shelves and her elbow made contact with his leg.

Stifling a yelp, Trey bent down to her level. "That hurt!" He said it in a rushed whisper, but it was still easily heard. Earning a look that said 'I don't care', he was quick to be quiet. Glancing at the food labels, he found a few that he recognized to be quite common in New Mecca. "It's like an import grocery store. This is amazing." Having let go of Jack's hand a long time ago, Trey reached up with his now free hand to look at the packages more closely. "Did you see this Ja-?"

Not seeing Jack anywhere, he immediately stood and glanced around the store frantically. Noticing the people around the store staring at him, he ducked down sheepishly. Walking quietly down the isles and not finding her, he was beginning to get worried. _Oh shit, oh shit, OH SHIT! _

Stopping and ducking behind the corner of the next isle, Jack was now in sight, as well as a taller scruffy looking man. He had dark eyes and short, messy, graying hair. Noticing that Jack was smiling nervously, Trey decided to make is presence known. Quietly walking down the row, he tried to catch the tail end of their conversation before he barged in.

"I know these part's pretty well…you don't look familiar." A deep scruffy voice matched the taller man's look completely. It was a voice with a hard edge on it, always seeming like he was yelling at someone. "No, not familiar at all." His eyes traced her figure, taking in each curve and line carefully.

Jack swallowed, a bit nervous around the foreign man. She looked to the side, noticing Trey creeping ever so slowly. "Oh honey, did you find anything?" Pointedly looking at the 'teenaged girl' in front of her, she gave a sigh of relief when he nodded.

"Y-yea. Come take a look Mother." He motioned with his fingers carefully, trying to ignore the way the man's eye wandered about him. Watching as Jack nodded to the older man, Trey tried extremely hard not to break out into a sprint out the store. When Jack was close enough to him, he grabbed her hand, pulling her into the next isle over. Looking around a couple of times, he made sure they were out of any customer's earshot. "I thought Riddick told you not to make eye contact!"

"I didn't!" Jack's reply came out as a hiss more than an actual statement, but the principal was the same. "He came up behind me and I had no idea what to do. He was practically raping me with his eyes; he would be dead if we weren't in disguise!" A fierce glare in the man's direction accompanied her testimonial, and Trey had to redirect her attention once again.

"Look, all we need to focus on is looking out the window for Riddick. I'll stay with you so he doesn't come near you again." Waiting for confirmation, Trey impatiently raised his eyebrow.

"You're right." A small pout came to Jack's lips, but soon after a small smile was present. "You should've been the Mom."

Rolling his eyes, Trey had to suppress a glare. "Don't even."

* * *

"Were you ignoring me the entire time Jack? What did you think you were doing? Didn't I tell you what the number one rule was?" Riddick growled out sentence after sentence, squeezing Jack's now bruising arms. "Did I fucking not make myself clear enough?" They were currently situated down a dark alleyway, covered in shadows so that no city dwellers would notice them. Grocery bags were strewn across the pavement next to their feet, and all was silent for a few moments.

Jack fidgeted under his grasp, trying to release some of the pressure on her sore arms. "I didn't! He came up behind me, touched me on the shoulder and started to talk to me. I tried not to look at him even then, but I couldn't just ignore it! I'm sorry..." Brown eyes found the floor more interesting that the man who was holding her up against the wall. She tried not to feel bad about it, but still Jack felt as if something bad was going to happen because of her.

"It's true!" Trey, pulled on Riddick's clothing angrily, not liking the way he was hurting Jack. "It was my fault, not hers. I was the one who lost her in the first pla-" Trey was cut off with Riddick's arms now pinning him up against the wall instead.

"You what?! Were you not paying attention at all to what I told you? I said to stay together! No wonder this happened." Riddick sneered, pulling away from him. Adjusting the sunglasses on his face, he pursed his lips unconsciously. "He's around that corner waiting for us. You fuckin' idiots."

Slouched against the dark brick, Jack cradled the purple flesh on her arms softly. "So we fucked up; what do we do now?" Riddick had turned away from the two, obviously thinking over the situation. Picking up the grocery bags, Jack took a step toward the taller man. "Your call."

After taking a few moments of the quiet to also make a decision, Riddick turned back toward the two. His trench coat blew back around his form, a silver blade glinting in the sunlight. "Follow my lead."

* * *

Max really wasn't one to eavesdrop, but this time he just couldn't resist. The guards were off duty in front of his boss' office and the door was cracked open. Currently, there were only two men in the room opposite the door. His boss and merc known as Toombs were currently deliberating the next plan of action.

"I say we ghost the girl right in front of him, make him bleed from the inside." Toombs smirked, lighting the end of his fat cigar. "The mother fucker won't know what hit 'em." He drew the smoke into his lungs and laughed it out, his companion anything but amused.

"I bet. If we're lucky, it'll only make him itch." Rolling his eyes, the taller man adjusted his gloves. "It'll take more than just the kid, that's merely a stepping stone. I told him once that I would hurt _everything _and _everyone_ close to him. He cut me deep with his little toy, but I will do_ so _much worse. He has no fucking idea." His eyes slightly glazed over as he thought of the many ways to torture the convict.

"I already told you what we have to do. We get to his bitch, we get to him. It's that simple. The kid is the bitch's step sister; they're obviously coming for her soon. So just sit back and relax,_ Jeremy_." Toombs smirked as he took another puff, ignoring the scowl on the other man's face.

"It's 'boss' to you; how many times must I repeat myself?" Rolling his eyes, he scowled slightly. "Why must you go by our last name constantly? I can't even fucking use it because of you! You're a shitty brother, you know that?" Stealing Toombs' cigar, he took a long drag. "The only reason I called you is because of Dickhead, I hope you know that."

Taking back his cigar, Toombs took a seat on Jeremy's desk. "I fuckin' love you too."

* * *

Jack stayed close to Riddick, but not close enough to restrict his movement. Her eyes glanced behind carefully, noting the man from earlier a few steps behind Trey. She wasn't quite sure what was going to happen next considering they just couldn't call the guy out. The only Jack knew was that Riddick had a plan. He had to.

Picking up the pace slightly, Riddick turned right down the street they were on, trying to get as far away from the shipyard as possible. Once he ranged it was a good enough distance, he made sure the next alleyway was clear of pedestrians. Taking a turn, he pulled Jack in quickly and she in turn pulled Trey. He moved in front waiting for their stalker to appear. His hand rested on the handle of his shiv, itching for flesh.

Footsteps slowed but still approached. They were heavy, laden with caution. Once the man had come into view, it was over too quick. Riddick had him pinned against the hard brick, shiv digging deep in his stomach. Coughing up little spouts of blood, the man's eyes went wide before his head lolled to the side, bobbing up and down.

Pulling his weapon out of his opponents body, Riddick moved his hand around the man's belt, finding a gun and a wallet. Tossing it to Jack, he let the man drop to the dirt covered concrete.

Turning away from the bloody scene, Jack opened the wallet, immediately noticing the shiny metal badge. "Shit, he's a cop." She tossed it over to Trey so he could confirm.

"Yep, T-3 Crime investigator to be exact. He's the real shit." Trey shook his head, throwing the object to Riddick. Looking up to the sky, he sighed tiredly. "We just royally fucked up."

Taking the money out of the wallet, Riddick held it with the end of his shirt, scratching the leather on the bricks. After doing it to each side, he tossed it on the ground next to the body.

Watching Riddick with curiosity, it slowly occurred to her what he had just done. "No prints, no problem." She nodded to herself, a small smirk coming to her face. "What's next?"

Riddick raised an eyebrow, only looking once more at the body. "We get the fuck out of here. He's definitely got a tracker on him somewhere; we don't want to be anywhere near him when the pigs find him." Wiping his shiv of the dirty blood on the dead man's pants, he turned away from the two. "I got this guy to lend me his place for a couple of days. We'll unload, sell it all tomorrow and get off this shit hole."

"Then we get Ziza?" Jack wanted to make sure Riddick was living up to what their initial plan was. She watched him nod and immediately a weight was lifted. Looking back at Trey, she felt bad for him. He looked distant, and she didn't blame him. They were in so deep now, she hoped that he would one day regain a life of his own. He really was the best and only friend she'd ever have.

Riddick peeked over the rims of his glasses at the two standing still behind him. "Let's go." Receiving nods, he led them down the streets and into the darkness.

They failed to notice the blinking red light on Jack's shoulder.

* * *

A short chubby man sat in front of a large computer monitor. His feet were propped up on the desk, and his grubby little hands were in a bag of chips. Munching messily on his snack, he watched the screen carelessly. A map of the inner city was currently displayed, lots of blue and green dots moving around.

Brushing crumbs off of his badge, he cursed as he smeared salty oil on it. Leaning slightly forward, he noticed, for the first time, a blinking red dot moving quickly amongst the crowd. "Hey boss!" The large man yelled for his supervisor and quickly had an audience. "One of group Z has activated the panic button on the tracer."

An older man in a suit and tie decided to take the initiative. "Alright, let's organize a team to follow the signal. Stay on it!"

* * *

"Hey, you!" A large man with an almost equally large gun stood towering above max. His raspy voice rang out and snapped the younger man out of whatever trance he had been previously in.

Max blinked, hoping that his scary comrade wasn't talking to him. "Uh..m-me?" He pointed to himself as if dumbfounded.

"Yea, you! Here," Strong arms tossed the gun at Max, flexing the stiff flesh. "Watch the prisoner while I'm on break." Giving a yawn, he nodded off to the smaller man.

Max clutched the heavy object tightly in his arms, trying to move it to a more comfortable position. Once that was accomplished, he thought about what the guard had said. _Hm, prisoner? Maybe…I'll just take a peak._ Moving slowly toward the door to the prisoner cells, he took a peak through the small glass window. A small gasp escaped his throat as he saw a little tan skinned girl pulling at her messy brunette hair. _She…she's just a kid._ His hear immediately went out to her; it pained him to see her in a place like this. Pressing the button to open the door, Max slipped in unnoticed by the prisoner.

Ziza's large, brown eyes shot up to see a young man who looked to be in his twenties. He was short and thin, not like the previous guards before him. She looked at him timidly, not sure what he was going to say or do to her. Minutes went by as they watched each other, both with their backs pressed against the wall. Ziza pushed her thumbs together, her face moving forward slightly. "Are you here to take me home?"

A sharp intake of breath, with eyes wide open; Max didn't want to reply to such a question as that. He frowned, laying the gun down and crossing his arms protectively around himself. He stayed sitting like that, for moments on end before replying. "No, I'm not the one to take you home."

Moving backward slightly, Ziza shied away from him. "Oh." Her large eyes found the wall to her left more interesting than the man. It was quiet again, although this time for a shorter period of time. "Is my sister coming to save me?"

This time, Max was the one to look away. He hadn't thought it would be this hard to talk to a child. Her questions were legitimate, but he didn't have the heart to answer right away. Finally he looked back at her, but as soon as he met her eyes…he wished he hadn't. "Yes."


	12. Change of Plans

A/N: **Bold really important** (sigh) Another chapter down! This one took a while, and I apologize! It was really hard to write considering I just want **Riddick and Jack to get together** already! But of course that can't happen just yet. **Next chapter! – If I get enough reviews that is! **So- **R&R**

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything!

Enjoy-

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Ch.12 Change of Plans**

Something was wrong, Jack could feel it. Turning to look behind her, she saw nothing, instead only hearing the rustle of the thin plastic bags and the chime of her dog tags. Chewing on her bottom lip in frustration, she almost ran strait into Riddick's back when he abruptly stopped. The quiet noise of police sirens sounded off from a little ways away and Jack looked behind her once again. Shivering slightly, she cursed at herself for being so paranoid. No matter how much she tried to shake the feeling, it was no use. "Riddick, something's not right."

Riddick stayed still, not responding to Jack's statement. Eyes glancing around almost violently, he searched for a door. Seeing a fire escape leading up to a roof, he took off in a hurry.

Trying to stay close behind, Jack rushed across the street and up the ladder after Riddick. Rolling onto the roof, she rubbed the sore spot in her side and was shocked to feel something land on top of her. She let out a cough as Trey sat on top of her, having rolled from the rusting ladder.

Blinking at the soft body beneath him, Trey's cheeks tinged pink as he climbed off of her. "Eh, sorry Jack." Missing the irritated look Jack was shooting him; Trey situated himself between her and Big Bad. Laying the grocery bags on his lap, he waited for Riddick to tell them what was going on.

Sitting in silence, Riddick listened intently to the police sirens. They had gotten louder and louder, but hadn't yet started to fade. Jack had definitely been onto something earlier, something wasn't right. _This is __**not**__ good._

Jack heard the police car stop and loud voices carried through the air. Forcibly swallowing, she tried to listen to what they were saying. She was only able to make out a few words before Riddick was on top of her. Feeling her body being pulled upward and into him, she took in a sharp breath as his hands ran over her quickly and harshly. "Riddi-"

Cut off by Riddick's large hand over her mouth; Jack's eyes were focused intently on his stern face. All of a sudden his hand stopped, pulling something off of her shoulder. Amber eyes widened as he showed her a small blinking device that had been hidden in her clothes. She had been bugged.

Removing his hand from Jack's mouth, he scanned the tracker, easily identifying it with the police. Ignoring Jack rambling apologies, Riddick tightened his hand around the bug, crushing it. "Jack, check out our audience."

Nodding and turning toward the edge of the rooftop, Jack leaned over just enough to see a crowd of people forming around the police car. Scanning it carefully, she didn't notice anything out of place until her eyes fell on a few people slightly spread out from the group. "Shit, they're here. Um Riddick, wouldn't it have been better to leave the tracker here and run?"

Trey nodded alongside Jack, wondering what in the hell the iron giant was thinking. "She's got a point."

Riddick pulled out his shiv, dangerously pointing it at Trey, "Now that wouldn't be any fun, right Jack?" He smirked as a slightly worried expression shot across the girl's face. "I suggest you learn the name of the game _real_ quick."

Trey swallowed, inching away from the blade in front of him. "A-and what might that be?" He resisted the urge to cringe as Riddick's face seemed to darken evilly.

Riddick's voice was low and menacing, "Kill or be killed."

Jack sighed, ignoring the two boys and pulling numerous blades out of her layers of clothing. "I hate this game."

* * *

"Tell me again, why did you send those morons out? They won't be able to even scratch him, you do know that right?" Toombs looked at his brother incredulously, wondering what he was possibly thinking.

Sighing and crossing out names on the piece of paper in his hands, Jeremy glanced at his companion in crime. "It's simple really; I need to lighten my crew a bit. They're useless to me if we're going after Dickhead." Red marker smeared across multiple names, the names of people currently about to get killed by Riddick.

Toombs lobbed his head to the side, cracking it effectively. "Glad to know I'm not the only fucked up bastard here."

Unbeknownst to the two expert mercs, Max leaned against the wall next to the slightly ajar door. He had heard the whole conversation and was frankly mortified by the idea. "Oh shit, this is bad."

* * *

Sweating profusely at his seat, a tall man with his head bent stared at the red spot on the screen. He was doing his job, watching the tracker and waiting until it moved. Unfortunately for him, the red dot suddenly disappeared. "Sir, I lost the signal."

"You what?" The chief of the office watched his squad on screen, one of his officers bugged with a camera. Turning to the lesser employee, he blew out a puff of smoke, a cigarette being crushed by his foot. "I don't care what you have to do, find them!"

Nodding, he tried to find any trace whatsoever of the tracker, but found nothing. Looking back to his captain, he tried not to stutter in his statement. "They've done something, it's completely dead!"

Sighing and wiping his brow, the captain sighed and pulled his walkie talkie off his vest. "955-955 retreat back to headquarters, repeat, back to headquarters."

* * *

"They're leaving, thank god." Trey sighed, looking happily over at Jack. He glanced back down to the retreating cop car and audience, but noticed a few spectators stayed. "Wait, they're not all leaving yet."

Riddick moved up, nodding over to Jack, and rubbing a calloused finger against his shiv. "That's our cue."

Jack watched as Riddick swung down to the fire escape and jumped off, running down through the alley. Jack smirked, following his lead, "Game on!"

Trey shook his head, running after Jack and Riddick. Reaching the ground, he lost sight of them. "Aw, man!" He took off for the darkened alley and was caught off guard by a black shadow charging toward him. He ducked as the figure swung at him, but was stunned to see the same figure being flung carelessly into the wall beside him.

Extending a hand to the crouched down Trey who was still holding the grocery bags, Jack pulled the boy up on his feet. "Try not to get killed, okay?" She couldn't resist the smile coming to her face as the boy looked at her apologetically. "Just pretend we're sparring."

"Right, sparring." Trey nodded, looking around nervously. "Except for the fact that we might die; there's always that factor." Taking out a pistol he had hidden under his dress, he shrugged nonchalantly. "Guess I'll have to learn how to use this thing eventual-"

Trey was cut off by shots being fired, chunks of brick flying off the wall next to the two. Jack decided to interject before they got killed, "Now would be good!" Taking off and pulling Trey with her, Jack dodged the blasts and gutted a couple people in her way. The boy trailing behind her shot rapid fire at nothing in particular, too worried to aim.

A giant, dark figure was approaching Trey fast and scaring the hell out of him. "J-Jack!" He started to fire, but the mass moved quickly, appearing in front of him in a matter of seconds. He was shocked and relieved for once to see angry Riddick's face come into view.

Glaring full force at the stupid kid in front of him, Riddick took the gun from Trey. "You moron, watch where you're shooting!" Mumbling something about 'getting rid of useless morons', he took care of a couple of mercs on their tail.

Almost at the end of the alley, Jack was thankful for the darkness hiding the crimson smears on the pavement. After that night with Ziza, the image of her blood painted walls was burned into her mind like a never ending nightmare.

Almost reaching for the light through the falling bodies, Jack took in a deep breath as the beautiful rays caressed her tan skin. Silence befell them heavily, placing an awkward feeling in the pit of Jack's stomach. Letting go of Trey's hand, she almost collapsed at her appearance. Darkened red smudges covered her hands and clothes, still wet and smooth to the touch. She hated to admit it, but it scared her. She rolled her eyes while noticing her dog tags were hanging out of her shirt, yet untouched and clear of blood.

After all the rest of the merc's were dead or at least maimed in some way, Riddick emerged from the darkness, stepping behind and pulling Jack to him protectively. There was hardly a trace of blood on him at all; the largest was only a splatter directly underneath his eye. He wiped away the blotches on Jack's face with his forearm, "It washes away."

Jack almost laughed bitterly at the double meaning, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. Pulling away from Riddick, she turned to see Trey peeling his now red matted bow off out of his hair. She noticed that the once clear plastic bags now took on a red tint as well. Swallowing the bile that threatened to rise in her throat, Jack took a deep and slow breath. Turning to the tallest group member, she straightened her posture, "Alright, where to next Riddick?"

Looking around and scanning the street names, Riddick adjusted his sunglasses. "Luckily, we're not far off from the apartment we're staying in. It's only about 4 blocks over and if we stay to the rooftops, we can make it in 15."

"Minutes?" Trey asked, not sure what exactly he was referring to. Earning a slight nod, he felt better about the trip. Soon they would be somewhere relatively safe, and hopefully they could be gone by tomorrow afternoon. Things were starting to look up. "Ready, Jack?"

Resting a hand on Trey's shoulder, Jack looked off into the distance. "Let's go."

* * *

Max could hear the loud speaker chime on, the static heavy on the other end. He wasn't expecting to hear his name come through loud and clear, but he did. The minute the 'well' was tacked onto his name, he sprinted for the boss's office. He slowed down before entering, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.

He was alarmed when the door swung open in front of him of its own accord. Unfortunately that wasn't the scariest part of the ordeal; the scariest part was the look on the man's face opposite the door. Max cringed at the sight of a grinning, twisted faced Toombs. _This isn't good._

Sneering into the boy's face, Toombs scrunched up his nose. "I remember you; you're the little monkey that landed me here." Lips curving into a scowl, he straightened back up. Side stepping out of the doorway, he waited until Max scurried into the room before closing the door behind him.

Looking between the two men nervously, Max took a seat in front of the large oak desk at his boss's beckoning. Chewing on his bottom lip, he tried to avoid looking at the gloved hand that had struck him earlier. He knew not to speak first, that right was reserved for his superior, but the silence was weighing down on him painfully.

"Maxwell, so good to see you again, I trust you're doing well?" A dry laugh came out before he answered himself. "Of course you are." Glancing down at the list next to him, he made sure Max's attention had averted to the paper. "Pay attention Maxwell." He smirked as the boy's eye's quickly snapped back to focus on him. "I have a new assignment for you."

Lips pursed in an eerie grin, Jeremy placed his index finger and thumb on the grove of his chin. "We want you to apprehend the girl, use any desired method. It's that simple. Just make sure you're the one who stays in control."

Max was dumbfounded, this would be impossible. There was no way in hell that any of this was going to work. He would most likely be killed before he could get anywhere near the girl. Sighing, Max merely nodded at his boss, not wanting to cross him.

Running a gloved hand through his slick hair, Jeremy smiled. "That is all." Unbuttoning his collar, he adjusted it while Max got up from his seat. "Oh, and Maxwell…" Tracing a finger down a long scar running down from the base of his neck, he licked his lips at the boy's horrified expression. "Don't come back without her."

* * *

The water was warm, beating softly against smooth, tanned skin and dull silver dog tags. Jack sat curled up in the corner of the shower, a pale red puddle beneath her. Even with the water cleaning her free of the blood, she still felt dirty. She had known it was necessary, he had told her over and over before. He was always right.

After a while the water turned cold, but Jack didn't notice. She had been sitting here for a while, her mind numb and face void of emotion. There was a knock on the door, but she didn't move, not an inch. Riddick's deep voice was muted through the door, calling her name. Jack stayed quiet, her legs still pressed up against her body and her arms secured around them.

Riddick's hand rose to the door, but stopped in mid air, resting against it instead. Feeling guilty, he called her name out again but still received no reply. Hand moving to the doorknob, he twisted it to see if it was open. It was.

Risking everything, he opened the door only to see something he hadn't expected. Sighing, he walked in and turned off the water. Grabbing the towel off the rack, he pulled it over Jack's shoulders, adjusting her arms so he could pull it across her chest.

Picking her up by her arms, Riddick held her against his chest carefully. Cradling her in his arms, he carried her to the master bedroom of the apartment. Ignoring Trey's complaints coming from the kitchen about cooking, Riddick closed the door behind him.

Jack closed her eyes, fingers clutching to Riddick's clothing rather than her own towel. She felt him shifting her weight, attempting to lower her to the mattress. Hesitantly releasing him, she curled up on top of the sheets to keep warm.

Riddick turned away from her, ready to leave. He was caught off guard by a whimper coming out of the girl behind him; just like that he abandoned all thoughts of leaving. Scaling across the room and sitting on the edge of the bed, he moved under the sheets, pulling Jack with him. He waited silently as her arms snaked around his neck and she buried her head in his chest.

They stayed like that the rest of the night, neither one daring to say anything. Tomorrow was another day, and they knew the worst was yet to come.


	13. The Game

A/N: Hellllloooooo! Sorry this took so long, jeez. I'm leaving on Vaca for 10 days, so I figured I'd get this one out before I left. Thank you to all my reviewers, I love you all! Seriously, it makes me feel so great when I hear all this positive feedback. **Next chapter will be the one everyone's been waiting for….IF I get more of those lovely reviews. Hehe, I love blackmail! R&R as always!**

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**Ch. 13 The Game**

Temptation. Riddick had officially re-named the game. There was one rule, don't give in. It was hard, so fucking hard, and he wasn't' just talking about his dick. Here Jack was, on top of him, wet, half naked, and completely vulnerable. Fuck, he hated being the good guy.

He watched Jack's chest rise and fall slowly, her fingers spread out across his chest. She trusted him more than anyone, even though he hated to acknowledge it. He wouldn't be able to look at himself in the mirror if he ever betrayed that trust. He could wait he supposed, if only until she was ready…or was completely naked.

_Right then…I can wait…oh-shit! _At that exact moment, Jack's towel started to fall off. Covering her back up quickly and rolling out from underneath her, Riddick jetted out of the room.

Riddick didn't know who he was kidding; he was horny as hell and getting the fuck out of there.

* * *

Jack awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs, the scent triggering her stomach to growl. Eyes opening slowly, her hand stifled a short yawn as she scanned the room for Riddick. Noticing how cold the spot next to her was and how damp the sheets were beneath her, she knew he had left a while ago. 

Shifting out of bed, Jack adjusted her towel from last night, pulling it tighter around her. Feet padding lightly against the floor boards, she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. "Riddick?" Jack called out in hopes of him coming to tell her what happened, or rather _if_ anything happened last night. She doubted he would try anything, not that she objected.

Hearing Jack's calls for Big Bad, Trey cut the stove off and skipped into the hallway. He was in a good mood to say the least, being able to sleep somewhere other than in space. "'Morning, Ja-AAAH!"

Covering his eyes, Trey turned away from her barely clothed figure. "Jesus Jack, I'm sorry." His cheeks tinged red, an embarrassed look crossing his startled features. "I- I…uh…yea."

Jack suppressed a small laugh as she shook her head at her bashful friend. Trying to peek around the corner, she looked around once again for Riddick. "Hey, is Riddick in the kitchen?"

Trey stole a glance behind him before turning completely around. Even then he couldn't bring himself to look directly at her. Shaking his head, he decided to clear things up, "He left early this morning to unload most of the skiff. Told me to tell you, he says it would be a good idea to beat up the brainless punching bag in the kitchen before he got back."

Trey gave a slight shrug, "Beats me what the hell he was talking about." Turning fully around, he thought over the question for a moment. "Come to think of it, I didn't see anything in the kitchen remotely close to that."

Jack looked at Trey incredulously, but pushed it aside when he took on a 'merc in headlights' look. "I think I might have an idea."

Disregarding what Jack just said, Trey decided to get them back on track. "Anyway, breakfast is ready when you are." Giving a short wave, the blue-eyed boy retreated back to the kitchen.

Spinning on her heel, Jack ran a hand through her still damp hair. Maybe she would take out her 'sadness turned aggression' on something, just until her convict came home.

* * *

It was dark out, and Riddick was thankful. Sunglasses stashed away in his pocket, he unloaded the last of the heavy artillery. Giving a grunt, he looked back to see the now nearly empty weaponry room. Since he left so early, he had gotten a lot accomplished in the diminishing darkness. Shaking off slight chills rising up his arms, Riddick watched the short silhouette of a man check off the different boxes of weapons. 

"Luckily it's just guns and ammunition; I can sell it off quick no harm no foul. You're looking at about 5,000 credits here, granted no word gets out of my services." The short, grey haired man gave a crooked grin, marking off the last of the artillery.

Riddick gave a short nod, earning an appreciative glance from the dealer. He waited, standing stoically in front of the drop ramp of the skiff as the man pulled out his wallet.

As soon as he fisted the credits, Riddick snatched them up and inspected them carefully. "Don't worry; I wouldn't dare pull trick shit on you." Giving a short laugh, he shoved his faded wallet back into his pants. "Here's a tip, you can get a fine fuck over on Cabbre St. for a couple hundred. By the looks of it, you need it."

Riddick was glad when the man waved him off, packing the many boxes into the back of his rusty truck. He hoped he never had to see his slimy face again, constantly reminding him of how much of sick fucks his acquaintances were. _Fucking brothels…Cabbre St. huh…_

* * *

Glistening sweat shook off of tired arms, sore from strenuous work. Fists tightened and tough beat the grey punching bag over and over again. Waist rotating with the swings, a white bandage was wrapped around the middle, favoring one side. Feet dancing quickly in and out of place and silver tags swinging side to side, Jack concentrated on speed. 

After 30 or more reps, Jack let out a tired breath, halting the beaten bag. Picking up the water bottle on the floor, she popped the cap and took a long drink. Clad in only a black sports bra and green army shorts, she wiped the sweat off her body with a towel.

Turning to face the door, her eyes locked with dark ones belonging to the boy leaning against the frame. Fingers subconsciously playing with the chain around her neck, Jack tilted her head to the side. "You here for a reason…or are you just here to see me half naked?" A slight pink tinge to Trey's cheeks and she knew the answer already.

Rubbing his face, hoping to get rid of some of the color, Trey took a step forward. Rocking back and forth on his heels, he looked away from Jack's questioning gaze. "Actually, both."

A rise of Jack's eyebrow signaled she was not only listening, but very amused. Jack could tell by Trey's earlier nervousness that he was trying to cover up his embarrassment. She took a step forward, following Trey's example, and placed her hands on her hips. "Go on."

"Well, I wanted to make sure your wound was healing up okay. I noticed earlier that it hasn't been bothering you or restricting your movement as much. I can check it out if you need me to." His vision zoomed into the white bandage around Jack's middle, now soaked with sweat. "I can re-bandage it too."

Rubbing a gentle hand over the wraps, Jack stretched a little then looked back up at Trey. "You're right; it hasn't been bothering me much. I'm thankful that I heal relatively quickly, I mean compared to you!" Laughing at Trey's hurt expression; Jack pulled a couple of auburn strands out of her face. "Anyway, I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself."

Pausing for a few moments and creating an awkward silence, Trey looked at her seriously. He studied her face for a few minutes, waiting for her tough façade to falter. Her eyes fell to the carpeting, thus giving him an opening. "Can you?"

Eyes shooting up to meet Trey's, Jack couldn't will her lungs to breathe let alone speak. She crossed her arms to seem defiant rather than the true intent to shelter herself from his words. "Ziza's counting on me." Jack was more trying to convince herself than Trey. "Imam's worried as hell…and…Riddick."

"Riddick? You don't have to prove anything to that stupid fucker! He got you into this fucking mess, Jack! He left you a long time ago! You have a new life, a new family, me! You don't need him, Jack." Trey by now had her pressed up firmly against the back wall, her hands pushing slightly against his chest. "He's just a murderer."

Trey wasn't quite sure when Jack's hand contacted with his face, or when she had pushed him forcefully off of her, but he _was_ sure that it hurt. Stumbling backward, clutching his face, Trey stood staring wide eyed at Jack.

Jack didn't dare look at Trey, salty liquid blurring her vision and her hand now shaking. She couldn't believe what she had just done; what he had just said. Finding the courage to move, she took off running, leaving a hurt Trey wincing behind her.

* * *

Fuck. This was not supposed to happen. 

Riddick stomped down the street in blind rage, more centered toward himself than anybody else. It had only become a little bit lighter outside between the time he entered the brothel and the time he left. Fortunately or unfortunately, he didn't get what he came for.

Upon entering the small back entrance, Riddick had gone in there thinking of nothing but physical release of all the tension in his body. Lately he had been getting a little too excited when thinking of all the possible things he could do to Jack, and this was exactly what he needed…a quick fuck. Just a nice unwinding before getting back on the ship with the one woman he couldn't touch.

Of course then things had to get complicated. He was bombarded by women, swooning over him and pressing up against him. This feeling was not foreign, so like always he simply eyed them until the owner spotted him. Ignoring their whiney voices as the man pushed through the crowd, Riddick fondled the credits in his pocket.

He listened as the man talked of his broads, pointing to each one individually. The blondes, the redheads, the fat ones and the skinny ones all lined up in a row. Then there was the brunette; the long haired, baseball capped brunette.

At that moment, Riddick hated the stupid whores, all of them. He hated the fact that they could put on a role and fulfill his fantasy for only two hundred fucking credits. It wasn't right that he could look at them and see Jack, his beautiful Jack among them. This was her fault; he couldn't stand it any longer, so he left.

Now close to the apartment complex, Riddick stopped to put on his sunglasses. Looking up at the open window to their bedroom leading down to the fire escape, Riddick wondered if Jack had taken his advice.

* * *

"Jack, please-" Trey knocked relentlessly at her door, yelling through the wooden barrier. Sighing, he was sick of talking to someone who was obviously not listening. Leaning with his back against the door, Trey dropped so he was sitting on the ground. His head dropped in his hands and his yelling turned to quiet pleas. "I said a lot of things…I didn't mean it okay…." Head lolling back to hit the wood behind him, his eyebrows furrowed and hand shot up to rub his temples. "Damn it Jack." 

The sound of the front door slamming echoed throughout the apartment, heavy footsteps pounding, sending vibrations through the floor with each step. Trey rolled his eyes at how easy it was to tell who just arrived. Not moving from his spot, he waited until Riddick towered above him. "She won't come out." Shaking his head, he added, "She won't even talk to me…."

A sudden rage came over Riddick, bringing him to grab the boy and press him firmly against the soft, now curved, wood. Arm pushing against Trey's throat, his eyes glinted through the dark glasses. "What the fuck did you do to her? I'll fucking kill you!"

Scratching at Riddick's arm, Trey gritted his teeth as he choked. Shock filled his eyes as he heard a cracking and splitting sound behind him. Letting out a strangled cry, he was pushed back as the door snapped in half behind him. Falling back onto the wooden shards, Trey let out a sharp gasp of pain.

Not even looking down, Riddick was alarmed to find that Jack was no where to be seen. The only clue was the open window.

* * *

Sitting in the passenger seat of a small drop pod, Max tried not to get sick from the quickly changing altitudes. Thinking about what he was about to do made him noxious enough. They had gotten clearance easily, flashing an insignia and getting through security. Agreeing on an odd drop off spot so Riddick wouldn't notice, Max made sure to pack a map. 

Max was lucky. His boss had told him he could leave in the morning and that he could even come to breakfast before he left. He was thankful for this considering how horrible his missions seemed to go. A few moments of peace and quiet he knew would at least grant him time to think up a plan.

He hadn't gone back to see the little girl since a couple of nights ago, even then she wouldn't even share her name. Max felt horrible sitting there; filling her pretty little head up with lies, but what should he have said? Should have he told her that he was going to kill her older sister? That she was only alive because they needed her for leverage? No, he couldn't.

Slinging a backpack across his shoulder, Max waved to the drop ship commander. Trudging along the darkened streets, he wondered where exactly to start.

Getting an idea, he pulled out a map, looking for the nearest hangar. Deciding to keep it simple, Max figured he'd just frequent a couple of bars and pick up information on Riddick there. They were bound to know something.

But first, he was in the mood for coffee.

* * *

Jack hated this stupid planet, this stupid city, and the stupid people in it. Why did everything have to be so stupid? Her head had been spinning since Trey said his few choice words and she took off. She hoped that this somewhat fresh air would do her good. 

Pulling her coat tighter, Jack made sure to hide the workout clothes underneath. When the thought of leaving crossed her mind, she found it to be the perfect answer. This way, there would be no more Trey, no more Riddick, just the sound of early morning traffic and maybe a nice cup of coffee.

Turning the corner, her slightly swollen eyes fell on a relatively busy coffee house with a wide range of people. Looking through the glass window at the men dressed up in suits ordering tall glasses of the dark liquid, she had to smile at how simple their life must be.

She couldn't imagine Riddick dressed up in a suit, ordering coffee for the day ahead. He'd probably order something like beer instead and have on a black muscle shirt as always. Jack could see him giving the excuse that he needed it to deal with all the 'dipshits' at work.

However amusing that thought was, it quickly switched over to Trey dressed up for work. That was something Jack could see happening. Trey would order small coffees, two of them, on the account that she'd probably be standing next to him.

Normal. Jack saw life with Trey as normal. Get up, go to work, come home, cook dinner, go to bed and do it all over again. She had lived her life as a normal teenager for at least 4 years on New Mecca already, and she hadn't waited for Riddick all that time just to be normal again.

No matter how much Trey could give her, Jack would always be waiting for Riddick.

The bell sounded, signaling the opening of the door next to her. Jack was shaken out of her thoughts and looked over to see if maybe one of the suited men were leaving. Instead, she locked eyes with a man clad in black pants and a green turtleneck. He stopped in front of her, hand clasping the door handle and eyes fixated on hers.

Jack's Eyes widened as she realized who she was looking at. "Oh, god." Taking a step backward, her eyes shifted to look for an exit.

Waving a hand in front of her, his eyebrows furrowed together as he gave a hurried whisper. "No! Wait! I- I'm not after you anymore!" Max looked to inside the coffee house, pulling the door open for people to come out. Once they were out of the door, he resumed his position in front of Jack. "How about I buy you coffee? I mean, it's one way to get pass the fact that we tried to kill each other, right?" Max gave her a pleading look and glanced into the building again.

Jack looked at him long and hard for a minute, gauging whether or not he was telling the truth. Whether or not she trusted him wasn't the problem; she sure as hell didn't trust him. "Okay, coffee."

* * *

"This can't be happening." Trey sat tied up to a chair looking out the open window in Jack's room. Riddick had felt that this entire scenario was his fault, therefore he also felt obligated to screw him over. Now Trey had to pee _and_ couldn't move. 

Trying to shift around in the chair, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. "Baldie? That you? Eeep!" His eyes widened as the chair tipped over backwards. Dark blue eyes met dark black shades and he swallowed slowly.

"Call me that again." Riddick glared, tempted to throw the chair out the window, with Trey still attached of course. Looking out of the window, Riddick took a step toward it. "I'll be back with Jack in a few minutes." With that he took off down the fire escape and to Jack's rescue, or so he thought.

He had covered himself up head to toe, Riddick that is, in his disguise that he was now quite tired of. Silencing the stares he was receiving with a glare, he turned each corner carefully yet eagerly in search of Jack. He tried different stores first, ranging from clothing to mere convenience. After checking the hangar and the ship, he even started to look down dark alleyways. Unfortunately, Riddick was met with disappointment each time.

Thinking Jack might have made it back to the apartment by now, Riddick headed back in that direction. He would've found her on his way back if he hadn't passed the coffee shop in such a hurry.

* * *

Jack drank down the rest of her coffee slowly, listening to every detail of Max's plan. He had told her that he wanted to help, that he was trying to run away. Of course she didn't believe him at first, questioning him constantly almost to the point of annoyance. But as she listened, she felt sorrier and sorrier for him. He was pathetic. 

"So I'm pretty sure that'll work, you just have to get your other crew mates to buy into the idea." Max earned a nod from the girl across from him and took another sip of the dark liquid in his cup. "I know you don't want to believe me, but either way I have to get the hell out of there. If I come back without Riddick, I'll be killed for sure."

"So what you're saying is that I just _give_ you Riddick in exchange for Ziza?" Jack was on a short temper, and Max was starting to light the fuse. "I'm just supposed to hand him over and watch him die? Yea, that's not going to happen."

"No, no, listen. Riddick will come in as a prisoner, but I'll make sure it's easy for him to escape. Hell, he can kill my boss while he's at it, if he's really as good as everyone thinks." Max rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, exhausted from trying to explain himself on multiple accounts.

"Oh, he's really that good." Jack had full confidence in Riddick's abilities, knowing completely what that man was capable of. "So he could grab Ziza and go pretty easily?"

Max gave a sigh, taking out a pen and drawing the layout of the ship on a napkin. He put little x's in place for the guard. "Well, there's going to be quite a few guards blocking him, but that's where we come in. I'll give you two communicators and that way he can give us the signal when to attack the ship and get to him as fast as we can; this way at least half of the guards have to be focused on us. How many did you say was in your crew?"

Imprinting the poorly drawn layout into her head, Jack took a second to respond. "Three, four if you count Ziza. Do you really think we can pull this off with so little of us?"

Giving a little crooked smile, Max stood up and extended his hand. "I think we can." He waited a minute as Jack thought about whether to take his hand or not. Right as he started to pull away he was shocked to feel her grasp his hand tightly.

Jack now stood with a determined look on her face. "I think we've got ourselves a plan."


	14. Never Never Land

A/N: Well, I hope this chapter doesn't suck as much as I think it does. Mass amounts of corn... It was really hard for me to write, but next chapter is all the action! Fun, fun! I'm going to Otakon (anime convention) this weekend and I'm really excited. So I thought I'd get this chapter out before I left. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any form of Pitch Black (Besides the DVD) or the characters in it. Only this really horrible plot….

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Trey's eyes searched around the room nervously, it was too quiet. Neither Riddick nor Jack had returned yet, and he was getting impatient. He was still sitting/laying in the same spot, tied to the same goddamn chair. All he had done for the last hour was wait….and wait some more. He had given up on trying to roll to the bathroom and was now ready to explode.

Hearing a door slam open, he jumped slightly and started to yell. "Jack? Riddick? Somebody get me out of this torture device!!"

Riddick stormed through the apartment, recklessly slamming doors and knocking over a lamp. Hearing the kid's helpless cries, he headed over to where he had left him. Watching Trey try and wriggle himself free, he moved so he was in front of him. "She's not here yet, why isn't she here?"

Trey looked up at him like he was a moron, "Of course she's here; she's just hiding in the closet!" His words were laced with sarcasm which didn't go unnoticed by Riddick.

"Really? Then I should probably give you two some alone time." Dragging Trey by the ropes, he stopped in front of the closet door. Ripping open the door, he shoved a screaming Trey inside. "Shut the FUCK up!"

"What's going on in here?" Jack's voice rang though all the commotion, curious and annoyed. She looked to Riddick and then saw the ropes coming out of the closet. "You didn't!"

Riddick kept his defensive stance in front of the closet even when Jack ran over to him. He sneered as Trey's muffled screams sounded through the door. "Jack! Where the fuck have you been?!" His hands grabbed her arms, but she pulled them away.

"Riddick, Move!" Pushing him over to the side, she yanked the door open to reveal Trey all tied up. Untangling the ropes and helping him to his feet, Jack pulled Trey from the confines of the closet.

"Jack, he- he fucking tied me up to a chair! A CHAIR! Then he threw me into a closet! He's completely insane!" Trey waved his arms around frantically, his eyes pleading.

Jack shook her head and crossed her arms. "Knowing you, you probably deserved it. Now get out." Noticing that he wasn't moving, she pointed to the door. "Go!"

Watching Trey scramble out of the room, Riddick wasn't content just yet. Turning to Jack, he took an angry step forward. "You were supposed to stay here!" His fist pounded down on the desk loudly, causing Jack to flinch. "Why don't you fucking listen to me?!"

"I was gone for an hour, not four years, ONE HOUR." Jack was too pissed off earlier to notice how worried Riddick looked. She stopped, regretting what had just come out of her mouth. "I'm sorry…damn it…I didn't mean…."

"Yes you did." His face was stern, but he didn't sound angry with her. "Where were you?"

"I went to the coffee shop down the street. On my way in, I ran into an old acquaintance." Her voice faltered at the last word and she sighed as he noticed. "Remember how I told you I took care of one of the mercs that was after me? Yea, I saw him."

"Shit Jack! Didn't I tell you- do you know how fucked we are?" His eyes closed behind his goggles and his hand moved over the top of his head.

"No! Its fine, actually it's better than fine! His boss screwed him over, so he wants out. He had a plan to get Ziza out of there as long as he could come with. He even drew the specs for the ship so I know were all the exits and entrances are." Jack talked animatedly in hopes that he wouldn't go off on her.

"No, there's no way. You can't trust him, Jack. He's a goddamn merc!" Riddick couldn't believe Jack would turn to a merc! _A fucking merc!_

Jack placed a gentle hand over Riddick's, knowing he wouldn't like her explanation and he would like the plan even less. "I don't trust him, but it's the best plan we've got."

* * *

Sighing happily, Jack fell back onto her giant, fluffy, wonderful bed. They were back on the ship and she was grateful for it. Riddick had agreed to the plan, but only after they spent at least an hour on a back up plan. Max had assured her that as long as she made everything look like authentic their original plan should work. This also meant that they had to take off into space soon. The charade would initiate tomorrow afternoon, and until then Jack planned to do nothing but rest.

"Hey kid." Trey looked at Jack from the doorway, knocking lightly then entering. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked over at her. "Sorry about earlier. Forgive me?"

Sighing tiredly, Jack rolled over on her stomach. "Considering Riddick tied you up and stuffed you in a closet, I suppose I can't stay mad at you for long." Eyes darting up to watch his, Jack spoke on a more serious note. "Did he tell you what's happening tomorrow?"

"Yes. I guess I don't have a choice, now do I?" He was still in a slightly playful mode, but he spoke the truth. He let his back drop down on the springy mattress, feeling just how soft it really was.

"No, I guess not." She rolled over again, looking up at the pale ceiling and wondering what it would look like with color. The more she thought about it the more she wished she had a paintbrush. "You know, someday I want to live in a big house…every room a different color. I want a large training room, of course and…and maybe a garden. Oh! A huge kitchen too, I can't forget that. It seems to me that Riddick loves to cook almost as much as he likes to eat."

Trey watched her eyes glitter as she spoke of this imaginary place that she so wanted to be real. "Riddick? He's in your dream house?" His voice betrayed how hurt he was, but Jack took no notice.

Jack's eyes found her fumbling fingers, "Yes…well it is a dream after all".

* * *

The take off was discreet enough, Jack had received clearance and made sure Max was nearby to see it. With the first step of their plan in action, the rest would have to be dealt with the next day.

Considering what time they took off, it now seemed to be pretty late. Well, their sense of time was shot considering they were in space, but Jack assumed it was late. She sat in the co-pilot's seat with her feet propped up against the dash. She watched the trail of fog move upward along the corners. She assumed that it was a product of the freezing air and warm_er_ air mixing on the glass. Trey was asleep in his room and Riddick was next to her, seemingly to be napping. She looked to him and called his name softly, smiling a little when he didn't even stir.

Looking back out the front window, she folded her arms around herself. Jack found out when talking to Trey that she had a lot of questions, but no answers. "What happens next?" Jack knew he wasn't going to answer, but she didn't feel as if that was the point. "What happens after we get Ziza and bring her back home? What happens…after the mercs….after they're gone?" She waited, letting his soft breathing be the answer to her questions. Jack hadn't wanted to voice her concerns out loud; she was supposed to be stronger than that. But sometimes, Riddick unintentionally made her feel like that little girl again. "What happens to us?"

Rubbing her eyes slowly, Jack swiveled in her chair and stood. Padding quietly over to Riddick, she looked down at his closed eyes. She was thankful for these moments without his goggles obstructing her view of him. Bending down close to him, she gave him a quick kiss on his forehead.

Walking past him quickly, she made sure to turn the dimmer down so it was pitch black. Riddick's large figure no longer visible, she closed her eyes and pictured him still sitting there. "Good night."

* * *

Max smiled as Riddick's ship took off the ground. He was watching from inside the hangar, keeping enough distance so not to look suspicious. Once they were clearly out of sight, he just hoped Jack planned on keeping her end of the deal.

The guy who had dropped him off had agreed to pick him up early tomorrow. He agreed to take him back to the ship, but that's where Max had other plans. Almost feeling bad for using the poor guy, all he had to think of was getting back at his boss to feel better.

After this he would be free, there would be no more lap dog service from him! Turning into a bar down the street from the hangar, Max was elated. Ever since getting this job he had been screwed over again and again. He had to laugh when he thought of his boss attempting to take on the girl. She would rip him to shreds.

Sitting down at the bar, he shelled out a few credits for a drink, something strong. For the moment he didn't have to worry about being killed for disobedience or any silliness like that. He hid a grin as a blonde with bubblegum lipstick found her way over to him.

Max could get used to this.

* * *

It was cold. Too cold, for Jack's liking anyway. She had forgotten how chilly it seemed to be in deep space compared to New Mecca even in the early morning. Even the fact that she had about ten blankets covering her, didn't seem to help. She tried not to shiver from the chill, or from the fact that Riddick was staring at her. Really, that was the only thing that was keeping her warm and flush inside. Her eyes were closed, yes, but she could feel him peering down on her through dark goggles. Those damn goggles, a blessing and nuisance all the same.

Keeping her breathing controlled, she wasn't sure why she didn't want him to know she wasn't asleep. Maybe it was the fact that he would stop watching her. Jack held back a whimper at the thought of his warm gaze leaving her.

Stoic as always, Riddick leaned on the doorframe, shirt absent from his workout, and lips pursed in concentration. All his focus was currently centered on the brown haired girl in the bed. It was obvious that she was awake; he could practically feel her body heat rise when he entered the room. It was okay though, it didn't bother him at all. He actually found it amusing that she would pretend to sleep around him; Riddick thought perhaps she was avoiding confrontation. _But about what exactly? Trey? He was __**definitely**__ a problem._

Jack tensed, hearing the shuffle of Riddick's boots against the soft carpeting. She was sure that he wouldn't be moving from his spot for a while, so why did he feel so close now? Sensing a dip in the mattress, she tried to still herself from rolling toward it. Jack could feel him distributing his weight, moving closer to her body. Her eyes widened and she bit her tongue as calloused fingers ran through her hair. She had forgotten how gentle he could be even with his coarse, textured hands. Relaxing slightly, memories fluttered back to younger moments when Riddick had done the same. Unfortunately her body was reacting a little different than when she was 12, and she failed to suppress the small moan that escaped her.

His hand stopped, resting on the side of her face, fingers intertwined with long strands of auburn hair. Riddick had been waiting patiently until Jack decided to 'wake up'. He watched her carefully, noting that her eyes had yet to open. Leaning over her, he lowered his mouth and planted a kiss on her jaw line, moving away slowly.

Eyes blinking open feverishly, Jack turned quickly to look up at Riddick. His face portrayed nothing, yet she searched it nonetheless. Her arm reached from beneath the blankets and relaxed on the strap of his goggles. She pulled them down gently, his silver pools staring down at her. Jack was thankful for the dim lighting so it wouldn't hurt his eyes. Her fingertips trailed a line down the side of his cheek as he bent down close to her again, moving on top of her.

Breathing in Jack's scented lotion; Riddick pressed his face to the palm of her hand as her fingers padded against his leather skin. Placing a kiss on the center of her palm, he felt her tremble underneath him. A whisper of a moan found its way to his ears, his name being uttered in the process, and that was all it took.

Jack slowly closed her eyes as she felt Riddick's mouth close on hers. Her hands immediately reached for his neck and back, hands sliding from the sweat, pulling him closer. His teeth and tongue nipped and licked at her lips, teasing and pleasing her. She willingly opened her mouth to him, playing along with his games. She hated to think about how long she was deprived of this feeling, this absolute bliss that only he could provide.

Riddick was hungry with his kisses, but not to harsh, leaving much to still be imagined. He was running purely off feeling, the animal inside wanting more than he knew Jack would give. One step at a time, that's at least what he kept telling himself as his hand moved up Jack's shirt. He found himself getting lost in the way her hand now glided across his chest while still keeping up with his tongue. Once her hand lingered on his waist and his own was half way to Never Never Land, he stopped. He had to before they started something Jack would later regret. Riddick on the other hand had no qualms either way. He had made up his mind the minute he left her; he would never leave her again.

Jack opened her eyes only to stare into guilty silver pools. Pushing Riddick down next to her, she rolled on top of him, head resting in the crook of his neck.

He adjusted accordingly so they were both comfortable, wanting to feel her pressed up against him once more. Riddick wondered if he had made the right choice, "Jack-"

"Shh." She let her eyes close against him as she kissed side of his neck softly. "Maybe someday I'll be good enough for you. I can wait." Content with the illusion of that day being soon, Jack took slow, even breaths until she fell asleep again.

She was so far gone that she missed Riddick's whispered reply. "You're wrong Jack; you have no idea."

* * *

Stumbling down the hallway, Trey peeked through each doorway, searching for Jack. Hearing voices, he moved stealthily towards a door that was slightly ajar. Squinting through the doorway, his eyes fell upon two bodies entangled, pressed up against each other. His eyes sharpening to focus on their faces, there was a sharp intake of breath before he ran down the hall.

Black strands of hair whipped around his face as he slammed himself against the wall angrily. Dropping to his knees, his hands formed fists as he cursed at no one in particular. It wasn't fair- none of it was. Stupid Riddick…he didn't deserve her…he just didn't.

Feeling like he needed to be anywhere but where he currently was, Trey took off for the kitchen. Bustling about within, he shoved multiple pieces of fruit down his throat which only served to make him even sicker. _This can't be happening_.

Opening a cabinet and pulling out a bottle of dark liquor, Trey winced as he felt his stomach churn. Screwing off the cap sloppily, he downed a third of it in one gulp. He dropped the bottle on the counter, turned to the sink and spit most of it back up. Coughing up spots of the liquid on his shirt, he let his body drop to the floor. Rolling around, he sat with his back pressed against the cool metal.

He had to do something, anything. He had to end all of it, even if it meant taking drastic measures.


	15. Family Ties

A/N: Um…lots of foul language in this chapter. BE WARNED! Actually I don't know why I'm warning you considering you've read this far. Thank you for staying with me all this time, and I assure you it's not the end just yet. We're getting close though! As always, **R&R**!

Disclaimer: Still, I do not own Riddick. I'm really wishing I did though….

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**Ch.15 Family Ties**

"There! That's his drop ship!" Jack pointed an elegant finger out the windshield of the ship, aiming at a small, tan pod. Glancing over to a focused Riddick, she hoped he was ready. Turning her attention to blinking radar, Jack noted Max's position and aimed the cannons.

Trey stood in the background, loading antique pistols and blaster's alike. Attaching them to what would be their vests; he wondered if all of this was a good idea. Jack seemed to be all for it, and he supposed that was all that mattered. Looking to Jack gripping the gun turret, Trey raised a curious brow. "I thought he was on our team?"

"He is, but his friend isn't. We need to make it look like he gets in on accident." Jack chewed at her bottom lip, aiming slightly to the side of the smaller ship. Firing off repeated blasts, the sky illuminated as the shots left craters in floating pieces of debris behind the pod.

"He's firing back; I'm taking her in closer." Riddick's voice was void of emotion, clearly concentrated on the task at hand. Dropping the ship slightly, he turned it so the smaller ship had a clear opening to their bridge. Signaling Jack to stop the barrage of fire, he opened the first door, letting the ship inside.

Jack gave the thumbs up to Trey and he took off to wait at the second door. Once the first door closed and the inside door opened, Trey was facing the ship with a blaster pistol.

Max spilled clumsily out of the pod, dusting himself off and giving a small smile of accomplishment. Looking at Trey he was slightly taken off guard, but was relieved when the brunette showed up behind him.

"How come the other one's not coming out?" Jack too held a gun in her hand, but this one instead was the beautiful antique Riddick had shown her. She waved it over to the pilot's side of the ship, emphasizing her question.

"I knocked him out and brought in the ship myself. Take him to your medical room and get the kid to fix him up." Nodding to Trey, he ignored how the boy seemed to take offence to his statement. "Well? Hurry up." Max walked up to Jack, waiting for her to escort him to where Riddick was. "What if he wakes up?"

Casting a careful eye at the dirty pod, Raven turned to Trey. "Take your gun and aim it at his forehead, don't move it off of him. Drag him into the kitchen and tie him up. If he wakes up, ghost him." Grabbing Max by the arm, she made sure her own pistol was planted firmly up against him. "Any more questions?"

Giving a quick shake of his head, Max walked willingly to the front of the ship. He swallowed nervously as they stopped and he was face to face with who he assumed to be Riddick.

"This is Max; his 'buddy' is having a chat with Trey in the kitchen." Jack watched as Riddick nodded, his glare apparent through his goggles. Removing the pistol from Max's rib cage, she began to strap on one of the vests. "What entrance and how many guards?"

Max looked to the ceiling for a moment, ticking off the numbers on his fingers. "Five at the sides and ten at each end. The smaller the opening, the less we have to worry. There's only one guard in charge of the prisoner, but it's past the boss's office if you're coming from the left. So we should take the right side entrance to be safe."

"What kind of guards?" Riddick was the one to question him this time, wondering exactly how he wanted to deal with the bunch of idiots.

"Big, strong, and dumb. The whole lot is filled with them, all money and power hungry. The smaller ones…" Max pointed to himself as an example, "are the delivery boys".

"So we have to be fast…shouldn't be too hard." Jack looked optimistically toward Riddick, but his expression was unchanging.

"How long until the alarms go off?" Riddick knew one thing about breaking and entering, it was never easy. There was always some stupid alarm that signaled more people to come and get killed.

"Um…it depends when it's activated. If we get in quick enough and kill them fast enough, we might be able to avoid it all together." Max's index finger and thumb found their way to his chin as he thought about the plan. "Of course you'll be coming in as my capture, so more security will no doubt be there than planned."

"How many?" Jack crossed her arms over her chest, wanting so much for all of it to be over with before it began.

"About fifteen people will be on Riddick; of course this will leave the side gate empty so you can get the girl." Max nodded, rolling over every possible scenario in his head. "Who's coming to help us after the girl is safe?"

"Trey, he'll be in as soon as Ziza's off that hell hole and back to safety. I'll make sure to ghost a couple of guards on my way out." Earning a small choked noise from Riddick, she had to suppress a smirk.

"Alright, so the boy knows what's going on?" Max received a curt nod, affirming what he said to be true. "Alright, we can get this started as soon as you're ready."

Tossing a vest over to Riddick, Jack watched as he dropped it carelessly on the floor. "Riddick…"

"It'll get in the way." He knew what he said was only partially true, but Riddick was one to do things his way. "Get the idiot and load up, we're going in."

Looking to Max, Jack gave a shrug. "You heard him, pack up."

A small smirk played on Riddick's face as his head motioned for the kitchen. "The other idiot."

"Oh." Jack frowned at the reference, but left to get Trey nonetheless.

It was go time.

* * *

Max's fingers gripped the wheel tightly, eyes jetting between their speed and the map. "The travel time between the two ships is about seven minutes; we're just outside of their radar." 

Jack squinted as she saw the large ship come into view. "Shouldn't it be more than that? Even low end ships can tell when another ship is at least twenty minutes away."

Max gave a slight nod, slowing the speed down slightly. "That ship has so much technology that things start to interfere with one another. The radar is being blocked by the other sensors on board." His fingers glided carelessly over the coordinate board, specifying their landing point.

Riddick wasn't in the least bit ecstatic about this plan…Trey was alone on _his_ ship. Well, of course the knocked out guy was still there, but he wasn't going to do anything anyway. There was just something about Trey, something off.

"Alright, 2 minutes and counting." Max held two fingers up in the air and waited as Jack moved to the back of the small ship. He glanced back to see Riddick moving closer so he was directly behind the seats.

Jack folded herself up behind Riddick, hiding behind his broad figure. "Riddick…" She swallowed, as he gave a grunt to confirm he was listening. Her voice came out as a whisper as her hand traced the outlines of his back, more for her comfort than his. "As soon as it's clear I'll get Ziza, don't wait to see if we get out if something…happens."

Jack let her hand drop as she moved backward into the shadows of the pod. She didn't need Riddick to say anything, and he didn't.

The large entranceway to the inner side hangar of the skiff opened, sensing the small ship was one of its drop pods. Max landed shakily, but still landed nonetheless and waited to get out after the guards realized he was no threat. Ambling out of the pod, Max put a slick grin on his face.

"Oh look, it's our little buddy. Back so soon? I thought the boss got rid of your ass." One of the burly guards gave a throaty laugh as he hit Max on the arm with his gun. "I should save the boss some trouble." The group of four around him gave similar chuckles.

Taking a small step backward, Max played the comments off with a small whine. "W-well before you do that, I have something the b-boss will want to see!"

"Hmph." Releasing his gun and letting it hang on the strap around his chest, the large brute signaled to one of the other guards. "Tell the boss _Maxwell_ is back and he brought something."

Max pushed his fingers together nervously as a slightly less massive guard nodded. He waited in anticipation for the few minutes the man was gone. Taking deep and long breaths, he tried to calm down.

Jogging back to the group, the guard who had left grunted toward Max. "He says 'if it's what he hopes it is', bring it in front of the prison cells." He watched as the nervous man pressed up to the back of the ship nodded quickly. "We escort, none of us stay behind. Boss say's its important."

Earning curious glances from the rest of the group, Max turned and went into the pod for a moment. Knowing that guns were being pointed at his back, he dragged a limp Riddick out of the doorway. "This is definitely important."

* * *

Taking a long drag on his cigar, Jeremy blew smoke rings in the already clouded office. His feet crossed in front of him on the tabletop of the desk, his back pressed lightly against the cushion of his executive chair. 

"You think he's really got the girl?" A slight sneer present on Toomb's face, he angled his head to look at his brother. Of course he didn't think the idiot had actually done it, but he was curious how much credit the kid's boss gave him.

Jeremy practically choked on the smoke in his lungs, "Of course not! What kind of fucking retard do you think I am?" Scoffing, he pushed the grey smoke through his teeth. "That's fucking insulting."

Eyes dancing in the direction of the clock, Toombs gave a low hum. "Well, we should at least see what ugly piece of shit he picked up off the street." Standing from his spot, he waited for the man next to him to rise. "Who knows, we might be able to think up a use for her after all."

Ignoring his eager companion, the taller of the two gave a slight frown. Setting his cigar down in the glass tray on his desk, Jeremy blew the rest of the smoke out through his nose. Moving around his desk to the doorway, he brushed the invisible dirt off his clothes. "Remember Toombs, its _boss_."

Cloth covered fingertips pressing against the brass doorknob; Jeremy twisted it open with ease. Leading the way to where the prisoners were kept, he stiffened his posture and steeled his gaze.

Toombs following closely behind his brunette escort, he pushed past the burly guards in his wake. Stopping abruptly, he looked past his brother to see why they had ceased movement. Looking from Max to the body hunched over next to him, he found himself completely frozen.

Jeremy swallowed as he watched Riddick's chest rise and fall rhythmically, head hung low. "Place him in a room at the south end and don't let him near the girl; contact me immediately when he wakes up." Spinning on his heel, the slightly shaking man retreated past Toombs into the comfort of his office.

Eyes burning holes into Riddick's slump body, Toombs found his teeth gritting together. Rushing furiously back to Jeremy's office, he ripped the door open. "What the FUCK are you doing?! Ghost his ass now! Jesus Jeremy!"

Covering his eyes with his hand, Jeremy barked out an angry response. "No! I want to see him suffer. I want him AWAKE so I can rip everything from him while he's watching!" Bringing his shaking hand from his eyes to his lap, he choked out a laugh. "This…this is exactly what I want."

Heart racing, Toombs looked back at the door behind him. "The girl…not the kid, his bitch. Fuck with her and make him watch."

Jeremy stopped all movement besides his eyes finding his brother's. "Have Maxwell tell you every detail, how the fuck he did this by himself! And the girl, FIND HER!"

* * *

Peeking out the window of the ship, Jack gave an easy sigh. There were no guards right now, but she knew they would be back soon enough. Taking it as her time to make her entrance, she looked around for anything else she might need. 

Guns, check. Knives, check. Rope…? Jack chewed on her bottom lip, eyes squinting in wonder if she should take it with her or not. Shrugging, she wrapped the strong cord around her arm.

Looking out the window again, she made sure the coast was clear. Scrambling out of the pod, the lanky teen hurried out of the hangar and into the hall. Staying stiff against the wall, she stayed quiet so as to listen for footsteps or other noises.

_Stay calm, stay calm…oh shit!_ Jack almost jumped at the sound of mumbling and grunting coming from around the corner. Stiffening and backing into a hall corner, she stayed flat against the side wall. Her eyes watched carefully as a large man appeared with his back turned. Thinking she didn't want too much noise, shooting him was out of the question.

Taking the rope in her two hands, Jack snuck out from her hiding place. Letting go of one of the ends to the rope, she swung it around and caught the guard's neck. Grabbing the end again, she tightened it as the mass of muscle scratched at the cord. Wishing the man would stop his choking noises; Jack pulled him backward and kicked him in the head.

Hearing a snap, Jack tensed as the man fell limp against her. Dropping the rope, she took a few steps back to look at what she'd done. _I didn't mean to do that._ Meaning to or not, she knew the body had to be hidden. Pulling the dead guard into the shadow of the small opening, Jack sighed as she made sure he was tucked in there. _I said I would ghost a couple, but I didn't think I meant it._

Stepping over the body, Jack made sure no one else was coming. Hurrying down the hall, she tried to remember where the prisoner cells were located. Mumbling something about hoping she wasn't going the wrong way, Jack took a right into another hallway. Eyes widening, she shrank back around the corner.

The hallway she needed to go through was currently being occupied by probably most of the crew on the ship. Jack could only guess they were all watching Riddick. Deciding there was probably another way around, she took a left instead.

Treading softly down the hall, Jack tried to avoid the monitors in the corners, just incase cameras where attached. Looking down the next hallway, she saw a guard patrolling. Weighing her options, she decided to see if he would go down to the end of the hall. Once memorizing his pattern, Jack tiptoed quickly behind him as he stopped to look down the next hall. The large man turned, but didn't have time to yell as Jack slit his throat with a knife.

Of course, she didn't mean to do that either. The plan was to stab his stomach and cover his mouth, but of course he shut up much faster this way. Furrowing her eyebrows, Jack cursed as red liquid pooled at her feet. _Shit! Shit! Shit!_

Deciding that she was wasting time hiding bodies anyway, she took off down the hall toward the prisoner cells. Not stopping soon enough, the guard in front of the cells spotted her. Hearing a "Hey you", Jack figured she'd better take him out too.

Charging at the guard with knives in tow, she lunged out at him. She gasped as the guard grabbed her fist and twisted her arm. Letting out a small cry, Jack pushed the small knife in her hand through the gaps in her fingers and into the man's palm. He let go, and the girl took the opportunity to kick him in the stomach.

Staggering backward, the guard gave a low growl as he watched the blood spill out of his hand. "You bitch!" Swinging a fist at Jack, he anticipated her duck and kicked her back into the wall.

Jack gave a shallow cough as the wind was knocked out of her. Teeth gritting together, she could feel the almost healed wound on her stomach tear. Pushing herself forward and up off the ground, she took the gun off the side of her vest and shot him.

The shot rang loud and clear, alerting to Jack that she had royally fucked up.

"Shit!" Running to the nearest closed door, Jack opened it in a hurry and shut it just as quickly. Turning, she locked eyes with just the person she had been looking for.

"Sister!" Scrambling off the cold floor, a bright eyed Ziza ran forward to the bars separating her from Jack. "He said you would come!" A large smile plastered itself on her face as her adopted sister picked the cell lock.

Swinging the door open, Jack took the little girl in her arms. She was ecstatic to see that the girl was alright, but one question still remained prodding at her mind. "Who said?"

Taking Jack's hand, Ziza pulled herself close to Jack. "Mr. Maxwell."

* * *

"What the fuck was that?" Toombs looked around as he heard a loud noise sound somewhere on the ship. His back was stiff and he shot Max a quick glare before standing up from his spot. 

Facing one of the many guards huddled around them, poking out from the room Riddick occupied; Toombs grabbed him by the collar. "What the FUCK was that?"

The nervous soldier swallowed and looked to his other comrades. "I-I don't know sir; probably just someone goofing off." He held his breath as Toombs sneered and pushed him away.

Looking around at the bunch of pathetic excuses for guards, Toombs pointed a finger at the group. "I want three of you to find out what that noise was, and _if_ it was someone 'goofing off', tell them if I hear it again I'll blow their fuckin' brains out!"

Earning mumbles of "Yes, sir", Toombs turned his back to them so he could face Max once again. "And pussyfoot, keep talking."

* * *

Keeping a tight grip on Ziza, Jack retreated back the way she came. This time she had to be careful to avoid any contact with the guards. She closed her eyes for a second as she felt like buckling over from the pain in her side. Ignoring it and backing up into the crevasse that now housed the first dead guard, she told Ziza to cover her eyes. 

Looking out apprehensively into the hallway, Jack watched carefully as a set of three guards ran past them quickly. As soon as they rounded the corner, the duo was out and running.

Now with her hand off her eyes, Ziza's small fingers held onto Jack's firmly. Seeing a small ship ahead, she tried to keep in step with her older sister. Noticing there were no big, ugly men stopping them, she wondered if Mr. Riddick was here.

Picking Ziza up by her center, Jack hurried her onto the ship. Making sure no one was behind them, she closed the front door to the pod. "Buckle up."

Obliging, the smaller brunette fumbled with the harness only a few seconds before being locked in. Watching her sister turn on the controls, she held onto her stomach as they lifted off the ground. Feeling chills run down her spine, she gripped the harness straps as they sped forward and out of the slowly opening gate.

Unfortunately both failed to notice the trail of Jack's blood leading to the ship.

* * *

Curled up on the floor faking sleep was not exactly Riddick's favorite thing to do. He could be killing people! That seemed so much more logical than waiting around for the enemy to torture you. 

He had heard the shot go off, no doubt Jack's bright idea. Riddick knew the girl had enough common sense not to just put a hole in some guy's head for no reason, but that also meant she was in trouble. More than a small part of him wanted to get up, ghost everyone and find Jack, but he knew that would just put her in more danger.

Riddick suppressed a small snarl as he thought about just who he was waiting on.

Trey better be fast, Riddick was getting antsy.

* * *

"Another ship came in? I don't remember authorizing that." Taking a shallow drag on his cigar, the suited man glared at his subordinate. "Get someone one down in the hangar now!" Jeremy watched as the gun clad man nodded but stayed in his spot. "Am I fucking talking to myself? I said do it NOW!" 

Flicking his cigar at the piece of filth in front of him, the boss watched as he shuffled away. "Fucking ingrates." His eyes fell to the cigar on the floor and he had to scowl. _Such a nice cigar too._

Running a hand through his sleek, dark hair, Jeremy stood from his desk. Walking over to the wide window in his office, he took a few moments to watch the glittering nuisances in the darkness.

This was it; this was his chance to get back at Riddick. He had him tucked away on his ship ready for any torture Jeremy felt like dishing. It seemed so unreal, but at the same time it seemed too real. He felt so unprepared for this moment, for this utter and complete bliss. Finally he could inflict the pain he had suffered ten times over on Riddick.

Riddick had done so many things deserving of this, he couldn't begin to count. The convict had hung his brother by his feet on the ice caps of UV 6, only to be found by another merc crew. Then Riddick had decided to not only leave a lasting scar on Jeremy's flawless skin, but also to throw him out of a ship onto a bed of large rocks. Yes, Riddick deserved so much.

Interrupted by a knock at the door, Jeremy turned and cleared his throat. "You may proceed."

The door swung ajar and Jeremy found himself looking at someone he hadn't expected to see.

"We found him in the ship, he shot a couple of guys but I got him. Rascal's fast." The deep voiced man raised up the dark eyed boy by his hair and arm.

Jeremy's mouth hung slightly open, eyes focusing on those of Trey's. Moving over so he was directly in front of the boy, his lip curled and he gave a sigh. "Fuck."

Trey looked wide-eyed up at who was apparently his captor's boss. "Uncle Jeremy?"


	16. The Devil's Advocates

A/N: Oh boy, it's been a while. I'm working on this prompt war thing with my friend and I wanted to get this out before I worked on that. I've gotten so many awesome reviews I can't believe it. 150 already? Jeez, all I can say is THANK YOU!! This story lives off of your support, so I really appreciate it and I hope I'm doing an okay job! As always, **R&R**.

Disclaimer: Well does hoping to own it count? No? Argh…I don't own PB or DF or TCOR…only DVD's. (haha, did you understand that? I did.)

Okay, I'm done being stupid. On with the fic!

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* * *

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**Ch.16 The Devil's Advocates**

Taking in deep breaths, Jack pressed the icy cloth to her stomach. Letting out a small moan, her eyes closed for a minute. "You know, you don't have to sit here with me."

"I want to." Ziza laid her head carefully on Jack's shoulder, brown waves of hair serving as a pillow. She made a face at the heavy, copper smell of blood, but hid it quickly so Jack wouldn't see. Her chocolate eyes watched the shadows on the wall in front of them, not wanting to watch her step sister go through so much pain. "The man in the other room, is he still asleep?"

Removing the cloth from her side, Jack looked over at the little girl. "I don't know. You can check on him if you want, but stay in the doorway." The last thing she wanted was for Ziza to get in more trouble, and who knew what the merc would do. It wasn't like he had free roam, he was still tied up, but she figured it would still be safer this way.

A light hum sounded from the kid as she lifted her head from Jack. "Mmm…okay." Drawing her legs up underneath her, Ziza leaned against the wall to stand up. Shooting Jack a smile, she skipped off into the hallway.

Letting out a breath she hadn't known to be holding, Jack looked back down at her wound. Hands feeling for the metal tray to her left, she grabbed the threaded needle. Not knowing any advance suturing techniques, she settled for the simple running stitch. Piercing her tender flesh with the point of the needle, she sucked in sharply but continued.

Not doing a very good job holding in her pained expressions, Jack tried not to tug too hard on her skin. Stopping to look at her bloodied clothes, she thought of how her two favorite boys might be holding up. It had already been too long; they should be back by now. Unfortunately no matter how much she wanted to do something, she couldn't. All she and Ziza could afford to do was wait. _Hurry up, Riddick._

* * *

The silence was heavy between the three men, all looking at each other expectantly. It didn't matter that they were from different sides of the battlefield; the confusion was all the same. Shouts from outside the doorway were heard, shaking each of them slightly out of their stupor. 

Mouth curling into an unpleasant pout, Jeremy looked toward the guard holding his nephew. "Let him go. Take care of the others." Waving the burly mass off, he waited until the door clicked in place before speaking again. "This…is **your** fault?"

Trey couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the man before him, everything suddenly clicking into place. "It was **you**! **You** went after Jack! **You** kidnapped Ziza! **You** tried to fucking kill us!" His blue eyes were wide in his realization, every puzzle piece of his adventure falling into place. "It was always you."

Jeremy couldn't believe his luck. The reason he had to go on this wild goose chase after Riddick all this time was because of **him**? His own nephew? Face twisting and hands tightening on his waist, Jeremy tried to control his raging emotions. "It seems we all have some catching up to do."

"We all? Oh no…you have to be shitting me." Trey choked out a cruel laugh, it echoing through the room. He continued to shake with mirth and he clutched the sides of his stomach. Looking up at his Uncle, he noticed the man didn't look amused. "You…you can't be serious, he's not-"

Jeremy watched Trey with his lips pursed and brows furrowed. He refused to say anything, knowing that the boy already received his answer.

Trey shook his head and looked around as if the object of their conversation was hiding in the room. Turning to look at the door behind him, Trey glanced carefully back at Jeremy. "Uncle Toombs…is here?"

* * *

Peering into the dim room, small hands gripped the side of the doorframe. Head poking in slightly further, Ziza looked on curiously at the figure lying on the floor. Taking small steps forward, she stopped just before the limp body. The small girl dropped down into a squatting position, hands reluctant to reach out. 

Staying like that for some time, she took in each of his different characteristics ranging from the color of his hair, to the different faces he made in his sleep. Ziza could barely contain her surprise when the man's eyes snapped open. Falling backward into a sitting position, she could only stare at his panicked expression.

Giving a cough and looking around, the unidentified man was quick to ask questions. "Where am I? Who are you?" His voiced was hurried and cracking, his distress blatantly obvious. "Help! HELP!"

Backing away quickly, Ziza found herself pressed up against the wall. Watching the man scream and struggle against his binds, she covered her ears and began screaming for Jack.

The door opened only seconds later and Jack entered with her wound only half stitched up. Cringing as she hurried into the room, she immediately scooped up Ziza into her arms. Shushing her younger sibling, she combed her fingers through her hair to relax her. Jack shot the now quiet man on the floor a glare before taking the shaking girl out of the room.

Jack set Ziza down on her bed carefully, mindful of the shock she had experienced. Trying to think of what Lajjun would do in this situation, Jack ended up with nothing. Converting her thoughts to what Riddick would do in this situation, she figured that it would probably end up with the girl crying harder.

"Shhh…." Trying to think of something, anything to calm the crying girl down, Jack rocked her back and forth. "Uh…maybe…maybe if you go to sleep, you'll feel better. Then when you wake up we can make cookies and stuff, okay?"

Watery brown eyes looked up into worried amber ones and Ziza slowly nodded her head. "Okay." Her fist raised up to wipe the salty water from her face as she sniffed against her sleeve. Reaching her arms out to Jack, she waited until she was picked up and placed under the covers. "Mr. Riddick, he can take care of this monster too, can't he?"

Forcing a smile, Jack commanded the lights to ten percent. "I hope so."

* * *

"You want _me_ to help _you_?" Eyebrows raised, Trey looked at his uncle incredulously. He thought of all the possible pills the man could have been taking throughout the years. "Why? I'm on their side!" 

"Hmmm…are you really?" Earning a nod from the boy, Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "Take a moment to think about all the things he's done to you…to us!" Earning a questioning look, he continued. "He's made our lives a living hell for years! _He_ is the reason we left you on that god forsaken planet in the first place! _He_ is the reason we, family, are pitted against each other fighting for our fucking lives! _He _is the one who tore us apart, tearing us from the inside out!" Pulling down the collar of his jacket to expose his jagged scar, a strange expression crossed his features. "Do you understand now? DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND?"

Trey had subconsciously backed up against the doorway, shrinking away from his uncle. The more his relative talked, the more he connected events in his life to Riddick. "But- Jack."

Jeremy stopped; face relaxing slightly as he regained his composure. It took him a moment to process the name, but a face soon popped into mind. "The girl."

Giving a slight nod, Trey cast his eyes downward as he realized what he should be doing to help Riddick.

Riddick.

His teeth clenched together in anger, and his fist tightened. "It's all his fault, he's the reason she doesn't love me." His head snapped back up to look at the now smirking man. "You're right; it's about time the table's turned."

The pair looked up as the metal door slid open, a very irritated Toombs appearing before them. Being the quicker of the two brothers to comprehend Trey's appearance, his reaction was much the same. "Shit."

* * *

He could hear the quiet after the storm, the kid had been caught. It was then that Riddick realized just how right he had been all along. He knew that Trey couldn't fulfill his mission, hell; he hadn't even gotten to the prisoner cells yet. It was now that Riddick could finally let out his annoyed sigh, it looked like the rest was up to him, as always. 

Having cut his hands free when he first arrived, Riddick slid easily out of the binds, catching the brute in front of him off guard.

"'Ey!" Shifting to point the barrel of the blaster at the 'once again escaping convict', it was easily knocked out of the guards hands and he was left standing dumbfounded. Luckily, or rather unluckily for him, he wasn't standing for very long.

Giving an 'hmph', Riddick looked down only momentarily at the mess on the floor. Guards with their stomachs hanging out were never a pretty sight.

He moved quickly, obviously knowing the rest of the guards would be fast to take that one's place. Deciding that the air vents just weren't his style, he weighed his other options. If he stuck to small rooms, he could verbally cut the lights without making too much noise. The larger rooms would be almost impossible to cut out the lights, purely because the entire guard squad would notice him if he just started yelling.

Hearing the door slide open, Riddick took up a position in the corner of the room. Pulling off his goggles, he stayed still. "Lights off."

"Tom, you in the-" The replacement meat sack's speech was stopped as he raised a hand to his throat. Feeling liquid on his hand, he dropped to the floor in the dark.

Stepping over the body, Riddick gave a feral grin before passing through the door and into the hallway. Putting his goggles back on and sticking to the wall, he could hear voices coming from the room across him. Deciding to ignore them and keep going, he retraced his steps to get back to the hangar.

Stopping just short of rounding the corner, he saw a giant muscle of man planted just outside of what he assumed to be the ringleader's office. Wanting to end all of it once and for all, he moved quickly to the door. Sticking the shocked guard in the gut, he let the body fall to the ground before he took out his bloodied shiv.

Looking around as a double check for anyone else wanting to join in on the party, Riddick pushed the button for the sliding door with his palm. Heart already racing, it only increased when he came face to face with whom he had long ago deemed the devil's advocates.

* * *

Finishing the suture on her wound, Jack gave a sigh of relief. Looking over at the still tied up man in front of her, she rotated the needle effortlessly between her fingers. "Now you're going to tell me exactly what I want to hear, am I clear?" 

Fidgeting in between his binds, the man shot a crisp glare at Jack. "And if I don't?"

Jack frowned; she wished hostages would be more cooperative. Dropping the needle on the tray beside her, she gave a light shrug. "If you don't, _I'll_ knock you out, and you won't wake up next time."

Getting the picture, the man nodded reluctantly. Holding up his hands as far as he could, he pulled on his binds in demonstration. "Can I please get out of these now?"

Jack looked at him as though he had grown a second head. She stood, stretching and walking over to him. "Remind me again why I would want to do that."

Looking up nervously at the toned girl through thick bangs, he tried to blow the matted hair out of his view. Eyes skimming across his surroundings once again, he gave a tired sigh. "I won't try anything, it's not like I have anywhere to go."

Knowing fully well he was lying, Jack decided to untie him anyway. She knew he posed no threat to her well being, it's not like she was a novice at this whole merc thing. "Alright, but if you move you're dead."

Nodding once again, Jack's hostage, held up his hands. He watched as her fingers moved quickly, skillfully untying him. Wiggling out of the remainder of the rope, he flexed his hands and feet a couple of times. Stretching out his legs, he looked back up at the person who freed him. "That wasn't very smart."

Just as Jack expected, the merc swept her feet and she fell on top of him. He tried to roll her on the bottom, but he stopped when he felt her knee on his groin and he felt a sharp cut on the base of his neck. Smiling at his discomfort, she ignored his string of curses. "You're dead."

"Fuck." Not understanding where the hell she had gotten that blade from, the hostage held up his hands in surrender. "I got it, I'm dead. Fuck."

Pushing herself off of the pathetic excuse for a man and looking down at her pulsing side, Jack wiped her knife off on her pants. Slipping it into her pocket, she shook her head in disappointment. "You guys are really pathetic. Stand up."

Scrambling off the floor, he stood still in front of her. Eyes filled with questions still, he decided this would be the opportune moment to ask them. "Who are you?"

"I'm what you're after." Noticing the slight confusion on the guy's face, Jack decided to elaborate. "Who you're after is on your base ship, I'm simply a stepping stone to him. I'm a fucking piece of meat. At least, I'm sure that's how your boss views it."

A knowing look crossed his face as he recognized what she was speaking of. "Oh, you're his girl. I see." Glancing around, he motioned to the room they were in. "I take it this is your ship. Max's working with you guys isn't he?"

Giving a curt nod, Jack was pleased to notice how normal their conversation had become. "How deep does your loyalty run?"

"Me? Hell, I'm more afraid of you." He gave a 'pleas don't kill me' laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

Jack smirked, "Good, then I have a job for you".

* * *

"Dick head." A frown was present on Toombs face as he stared into dark goggles. He backed up slowly toward his brother, cigar dropping from his mouth. Dark eyes dancing between Riddick and Jeremy, Toombs tried to think of what to do. 

"I bet you're pretty fucking proud of yourself, aren't you?" Jeremy let a small smile spread across his face. Gloved hands clapping together, he chuckled in between smokes. "Bra-fucking-vo!"

Looking at his counterpart as though he was insane, Toombs eyes glinted to the blaster pistol on the desk behind them. His hand inched backward and toward the weapon, but he stopped when Riddick took another step forward.

The eerie smile encompassing Jeremy's face didn't falter as the mass of muscle in front of them moved. "You saved the girl and now you're going kill the villains? No, no, no Riddick, that's not how it goes."

Riddick was not amused by Jeremy's games, his shiv glinting and positioned to strike. A low rumble from deep within his throat sounded as a warning to the psychotic duo.

Jeremy's smile only grew wider as though excited by the very prospect of Riddick advancing on him. "In this story, the hero dies."

The hollow click of a boot on tile was heard as a figure stepped out of the doorway with a pistol raised to Riddick's head. The shadowed face of Trey was now visible, his chest swelled with the prospect of revenge.

"And the best friend gets the girl."


	17. The Truth About Fairy Tales

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long guys, I have a thousand excuses, but none of them are that interesting. I went to Hawaii for a week, so I felt guilty for not giving you anything to read. Only one more chapter to go after this!

Thankies to all my wonderful and I mean WONDERFUL reviewers! You make this story what it is! (Yes, sappy speech time) I am _very_ appreciative of all of you, and hope you will review this chapter and the next with the same amount of fervor! So **R&R!**

**FYI: Very bloody and bad language (As if I still need to warn you). Jeremy says something to Riddick that he had said before when Riddick kicked his ass. Refer to Ch.8 if necessary.**

Please enjoy

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* * *

Ch.17 The Truth about Fairy Tales**

Well, this was an interesting turnout. Riddick was currently face to face with not only the two brothers who tried to put him away once before, but also the jealous best friend of the girl he loved who was pointing a gun to his head. Fuck.

Riddick glared daggers at Trey, subconsciously knowing this was going to happen. His fist clenched and grip tightened around the cool metal in his hand. "I should've ghosted your ass a long time ago."

"But you didn't, because you couldn't." Not daring to get any closer with the gun, knowing fully well what Riddick was capable of, Trey toggled it slightly. "Jack wouldn't let you."

A feral growl sounded deep in Riddick's throat, eyes glinting behind his dark goggles. Trey had no right to even say her name anymore, let alone blame her for any of this. "Don't you bring Jack into this, I will _cut_ you mother fucker."

Feeling it was time to cut in, Jeremy took a step forward and cleared his throat. "You can't seriously deny that she had a major role in our play, can you?" Gliding behind his nephew, he gave him a parental pat on the shoulder. "Why if she and my nephew here hadn't gotten along so well, we wouldn't be having this family reunion." An eerie smile slowly surfaced on not only Jeremy's face, but Trey and Toomb's as well.

"Y'know, my brother's right, your little bitch really _did_ help us out. We didn't even have to chase you this time, you came running to _us_." Toombs chuckled, liking the fact that it was so easy to piss off the one man he hadn't ever been able to faze.

Finally things were starting to piece together. Toombs and Jeremy were Trey's uncles; he could've been working with them the whole time. Hell, he probably had been. A sense of betrayal washed over him, but it wasn't because Trey had stabbed _him_ in the back, but rather Jack. She had trusted him, and she would be heartbroken. "Fuck you."

Trey's dark, blue eyes misted as his finger tightened on the trigger, a sense of apathy washing over him. "No Riddick, fuck you."

A loud blast sounded, accompanied by the heavy thud of a body. A small stream of smoke lifted lightly from the barrel of a small silver gun. A thick pool of blood streamed out from the hole in the center of the body on the floor, running across the tile floor quickly.

Riddick stood, staring at the body on the floor in slight amazement. Trey laid there with his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. A small stream of blood trailed down from his lips and dripped into the larger body of liquid. Looking back up to the person holding the gun, his gaze landed on the tall brunette with a sadistic grin on his face.

While Jeremy looked as though he was having the time of his life, Toombs seemed slightly queasy. Looking away from the boy on the floor and up at his brother. "Shit, Jeremy."

Taught lips pushing downward into a frown, Jeremy's dark eyes scanned the body of his nephew. Head lifting and eyes focusing on the man in the black muscle shirt, Jeremy lifted the barrel of his gun to point at Riddick. A choked out laugh surfaced and his shoulders shook with mirth. "You didn't really think I was going to let you die that easily, did you?"

Jeremy's mouth turned up in the ever present smile again, crooked, white teeth gleaming with fresh spit. "_What's my name Dickhead?_"

An odd miracle happened just then, making Riddick extremely grateful for see that eye doctor in Slam City. The lights went out, all of them at the same time.

Utilizing the few moments he would have to turn things around, Riddick took his shiv and sliced the back of Jeremy's wrist, causing him not only to cry out in pain, but release his pistol. Digging the piece of metal into the man's chest, Riddick watched as blood bubbled from out of his mouth as he choked on the dark liquid. "_Fuck you, mother fucker_."

Taking the chance to save his own ass, Toombs headed for the front of the room. Tripping over his nephew's body, he staggered slightly before feeling around for the door. Thick fingers gripping the wall, he tried to ignore the gurgling and dripping sounds coming from his brother. Swallowing hard, he finally found the button to open the door. Sliding out as unnoticeably as possible, Toombs ran down the hall as fast as his shaky legs would carry him.

Jeremy slid down as Riddick pushed his limp body against the wall. Finding the will to clench his teeth, the blood squirted between the cracks and eventually spilled over them. His eyes finally glazed over, thankful that he couldn't see what Riddick had done to him through the darkness.

* * *

Strolling down one of the corridors with flashlight in hand, Max nervously shifted it from left to right. Hearing noises he frowned as he spastically pointed the light all around him. "I did _not_ sign up for this shit."

Hearing voices, Max practically fell against the wall as he quickly turned off the flashlight. Holding his breath as a group of guards rushed past him, he was grateful for the release when they turned the corner. Sighing and turning the light back on, his yelp was muffled by a hand wrapping around his mouth and an arm coming around his waist.

"Shut up! I can't believe you!" Once Max stopped making noise, his captor removed the hand from his mouth but kept him pressed against his stomach.

Mouth twisting and eyes glaring into the hollow darkness, Max's finger's fumbled with the flashlight. Elbowing the person holding him, he turned around and shined the bright light in his face. "Toby! I should shoot your ass right now!"

"Shoot me? Hell, I should shoot _you_ for knocking me out earlier!" Grabbing the flashlight away from Max, Toby turned it around. "She was right to send me in here to clean up your mess."

After placing his hands on his hips, Max ground his teeth together. "_My_ mess?" Earning a nod, he let out a dissatisfied hiss as he stole the light back. "If anything, I helped quell the problem in the first place! Now, what's your assignment?"

Turning Maxwell by the shoulder, Toby threw a casual arm around him as he began to walk. "All she told me was to follow the trail of blood, turn off the lights and make sure the big guy and some kid got on the skiff."

"Shouldn't you be looking for them then?" Looking over his shoulder paranoid, Max shivered. "Why'd you come find _me_?"

Turning the light so that it was highlighting both of their faces, Toby stopped walking. "Believe it or not, I was worried about you. I care about you, kid."

Max couldn't help but release a snort, "She threatened to rip your balls off didn't she?"

"Yep." Nodding quickly, Toby couldn't hold back the small smile that surfaced as they began walking again. "We better hurry up and find those guys."

Shuddering, Max tried to keep his focus on the path in front of him. Hand slipping down his side, he fingered the grip of the gun on his waist. "Let's finish this."

* * *

Realizing that the lights could come back any minute now, Riddick decided to cut his visit a little short. Now that Jeremy and Trey were dead, he doubted Toombs would be after him again. But then again, you'd have to be pretty fucked up to go after Riddick in the first place.

Nostrils filled with the stench of dried blood, Riddick skillfully sliced his way through any obstacle that got in his way. Not once did he wipe his face clean of the red stains, he wanted to revel in it as long as he could. Jack wouldn't be pleased, not in the least.

Then the inevitable happened, the lights came back on. Shielding his eyes he cursed loudly at the offending objects and swayed slightly, falling against the wall. He scrambled to put on his goggles, but he could hear guards surrounding him with guns raised high.

There were shots, but surprisingly they weren't aimed at him. Finally pulling the shaded protectors over his pulsating eyes, he looked up to see two very unlikely people.

"Hey there big guy, we thought it would be a good time to help out!" Max smirked as he shot off a blast right into a guard's chest. Staggering backward slightly, he gave a nervous laugh as Toby took out at least four of the guards in front of him. Nodding to his partner, Max took on a serious expression. "Don't worry, Jack sent him."

Nodding hesitantly, Riddick gave a small "Hmph" before clearing the rest of Jeremy's defensemen. Leading the way back to the hangar, he almost sighed in relief as if he thought the skiff wasn't going to be there. He dropped the ramp just as he turned to face the two other boys.

Max ran up the ramp and dove behind the seats as a five year old would hide from the monster in his closet. Toby followed a little slower, but kept his front facing the open hallway, just in case. Closing the ramp behind him, he watched as Riddick took to the pilot's seat.

Riddick moved quickly, pressing and pulling the appropriate buttons and levers with ease. "Can he stop the doors letting out skiffs?"

Toby raised a hand, feeling he should be the one to answer. "He _can_, but Jeremy's dead, and he was the only one who knew the password to any of the ship files beside the navigator. Of course this is perfectly fine considering I was the first navigator of this ship. I can counter any sort of defense system he can have put up."

Moving the pod forward, Riddick scanned where the doors should have been opening. "Well, I guess someone in there was smart enough to lock this shit off. Do whatever the hell you have to so we can get off his piece of shit."

Giving a curt nod, Toby switched places with Riddick and drew up his sleeve. What looked like a large watch on his wrist, he revealed to be a control panel. Pushing a large orange button, a small touch screen swiveled out and unfolded itself.

"I built this after the boss demoted me; I figured I could screw with him if he ever pissed me off. I never thought I'd need it for something like this." Fingers gliding over a succession of keys on the screen, Toby glanced over the see Max keeping the skiff hovering over the ground. "Almost done."

Riddick kept a look out for any oncoming guards, but his search was thankfully unsuccessful. Hearing a "Done!" from Toby, Riddick switched positions with him and took the controls from Max. Not bothering to give his thanks, Riddick maneuvered the skiff through the slowly opening doors. Putting on the thrusters, he was determined to get back to Jack as soon as possible. "Hang on."

* * *

"No, no, no, no, NO! This can't be happening!" Toombs watched helplessly as Riddick and crew escaped on the small skiff through the now open hangar doors. Turning to the navigator of the ship, he felt like punching the guy in the throat. "What the FUCK just happened?! Didn't I tell you to fucking close the door?"

"But sir-" The man attempted to explain, but it was obvious Toombs wasn't listening to any of it. Deciding to keep his mouth shut, he shrugged and walked out of the room.

"Don't you walk out on me, you- AAARRGHH! DAMN YOU RIDDICK!"

* * *

Keeping a watchful eye over Ziza, Jack sat on the edge of her occupied bed. Hands wringing in her lap, she chewed her bottom lip apprehensively. Riddick should've been back by now.

Standing, she only spared a small glance backward at the sleeping form before leaving the room. Fingers touching to the finished stitching on her side, Jack padded quietly through the hallway and into the navigation room. Falling back into the pilot's chair, she drew her knees in to her stomach.

Amber eyes dimming as she stared out into space, she was becoming more and more worried by the second. It was scary to even think, but it was the truth, Riddick could be dead. Tensing, Jack shook her head as if to argue against her own thoughts.

The sound of scraping metal, and the feel of vibrations against her skin, Jack jumped up and immediately ran for the hangar. Bracing herself against the wall as the skiff pulled in to the ship, she waited until the doors closed behind it and its controller's stepped out. Seeing Max and Toby, she smiled glad they were alright. Her eyes finally landed on a blood covered Riddick, and soon she realized there was no Trey in the group.

Eyes beginning mist, she marched right over to Riddick and slapped him, hard. Teeth gritting and fists clenched, Jack pounded on his chest as if it would make her heart hurt less. Salty droplets formed at the corners of her eyes, rolling softly down her cheeks. She choked out a sob, and she felt Riddick pull her against him.

Feeling as if they were intruding, Max and Toby excused themselves from the room and traveled down the hallway in silence.

Riddick tightened his grip around the girl in his arms; he reached out to brush her hair back, but stopped at the sight of his blood coated fingers. He didn't want to put this on Jack, this filth, this burden. This was his to carry, not hers. He let up his grip as Jack pushed away from him.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her arm, Jack sniffed and shook her head. "What the hell took you so long?"

Giving a relived sigh, Riddick revealed one of his very few smiles. Everything was okay now, it was done. He jerked slightly as he felt Jack's hand grip his own, entwining her clean fingers with his dirty ones. He could only look for a minute as the blood and dirt smudged onto the palm of her hand.

Yanking on his hand, Jack jolted him out of his revere and flashed him a comforting smile. "C'mon, let's go get you cleaned up."

Looking up at his better half, he pulled her back and gave her a quick kiss. "Yea, clean."


	18. In The End

A/N: Hello everyone!!! I've been really busy lately, but I know that's no excuse! This is the final chapter, and I would like to thank everyone for their support throughout this project. I really couldn't have written this without everyone's ideas and support. Thank you so much, and each review was extremely appreciated. I love all of you guys and I hope to write something new soon!

Review the last chapter please and tell me what you thought of the ending or the whole story. I haven't decided whether or not I'm doing a sequel, but I would like to hear your thoughts first. Thanks again and as always, **R&R!!!**

Disclaimer: For the last time, I do not own Riddick.

Enjoy the finale!!

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Ch.18 In The End**

Riddick watched as the water rushing down his body mixed with dry blood and flowed quickly down the drain. Eyelids as heavy as his breathing, he ran a rough hand over his face. Leaning against the tile wall next to him, his eyes gazed through the darkness of the shower.

Hearing the door to the bathroom click open, Riddick tensed and gave a small growl of annoyance.

"It's just me, Riddick. Don't bite my head off." The sound of Jack's voice rang through the darkness, and the clinking of dog tags could be heard. Riddick immediately relaxed.

Sitting down on the floor with her back to the bathroom door, Jack couldn't help but roll her eyes at the fact that once again one of her fantasy's about Riddick had been shot. Ever since watching the rain stream over every defined muscle on his body on T-2, Jack had conjured a similar image in her mind, only this time involving less clothing. Of course it wasn't until she happened to _accidentally_ stumble into the bathroom one day while he was showering, that she realized he showered in the dark. Not only did she feel like an idiot, but also severely depressed.

"You going to sit there until I get out? If you really wanted to see me naked, you could've just asked." Riddick let out a low chuckle as he watched Jack's head shake from side to side timidly and almost nervously. He couldn't help but smirk as color flooded her cheeks and she looked down at the floor.

Taking on a serious tone, Jack pulled her legs in underneath her. "What happened, Riddick? Why didn't Trey come back with you?" Pausing for a minute, Jack decided to rephrase her question. "No, that's not what I…I know _why_, just not _how_ it happened."

Hesitating in his cleansing ritual, Riddick wondered if it would be too difficult for Jack to hear. Then again, he knew after all that had happened she deserved at least this. Turning off the water, he pulled a towel down from the top of the glass door. "Jeremy, the boss of the whole operation, he shot him."

Biting down on her bottom lip, Jack wiped furiously at her stinging eyes. "That idiot…goes and gets fucking shot…" Sniffing and letting out a small choked sob, she covered her eyes with the palms of her hands.

Finishing drying off, Riddick wrapped the towel around his waist and grit his teeth as anger boiled within him. Shaking his head, he whispered something about Trey being just as bad as Johns. Opening the shower door so quickly that it rattled beside him, Riddick began almost yelling at the girl in front of him. "He wasn't your friend Jack."

Eyes widening as she finally say his silver pools glinting down at her, Jack felt like slapping him again. "What are you talking about?"

Anger quickly subsiding, Riddick chided himself for yelling at her for something that wasn't her fault. "Jeremy was his uncle, as was Toombs, the other merc behind it. He switched sides on us, Jack."

Frowning, everything finally started to piece itself together. A sense of pain and confusion washed over Jack, and she stood from her spot. Searching Riddick's gleaming eyes, she knew he was telling the truth. Suddenly her breaths became quicker and her chest heaved up and down while her hands closed into fists.

Thinking quickly, Riddick wrapped an arm around Jack and pulled her into his chest. He felt her release her fists and her fingers pressed against his stomach. Suppressing a chill as her hands slid around his waist, he swallowed as they rested at the brim of the towel.

"I'm such an idiot…" Mumbling into Riddick's chest, Jack leaned into him further. "I'm back where I started."

Commanding the lights to 20 percent, Riddick lifted Jack's chin and made sure she was looking at him. "When I first saw you, you were a 13 year old running around as a boy." He paused as her eyes begged him to continue, wanting him to finally admit what they both already knew.

"When I first spoke to you, you had shaved your head and put on yellow goggles as if you were some kind of badass or something." This earned a light laugh from Jack and he knew his efforts were at least helping. "Back then, you didn't have anything or anyone." Once again Riddick paused, eyes moving away from her then looking back. "Now you've got me."

A smile tugged at the corners of Jack's mouth and she couldn't help but start laughing. "You know, that sounds really silly coming from you." She only laughed harder when Riddick scowled. Lifting up on her tiptoes, she pressed her mouth lightly against his.

Taking the invitation almost greedily, Riddick skipped past chaste kisses and pulled at her bottom lip hungrily. Once he was granted access, his mouth covered hers heatedly. Hand running up her side, he smirked at the small moan escaping Jack's lips.

Hand feeling around for the doorknob behind her, Jack almost stumbled backward as she pushed the door open. Luckily, Riddick's other hand was at her waist steadying her as well as pushing her over to the bed. Her fingers found the edge of the only object blocking her view of a completely bare Riddick. At that moment, that was exactly what she wanted to get rid of.

Fingers slipping underneath the warm cloth of Jack's dark tank top and brushing up against two cool metal squares, Riddick stopped as he heard the door creak open. Feeling Jack quickly separate herself from him, he cursed whoever would interrupt him. Letting out a low growl, he turned to see who the intruder was.

Standing in the doorway was a very wide eyed Max who was holding his hand over the eyes of Ziza. Scratching the back of his head, Max gave an embarrassed laugh. "Maybe we should come back later."

Frowning and pulling Max's hand forcefully away from her eyes, Ziza ran over to Jack. "Big sis, guess what!"

Glancing over to Riddick, Jack gave an apologetic look and a silent promise that they would resume where they left off later. Squatting down so she was eye level with Ziza, Jack ran a hand through the girl's curly brunette hair. "What?"

A grin spread across Ziza's face and she nodded to Max in the doorway. "Uncle Max and Uncle Toby are teaching me how to make sugar cookies! Daddy never lets me have sugar at home!" She was already bouncing up and even without eating the sweet substance. "Do you want to come make some with us?"

Jack raised an eyebrow at Max, "Uncle?" She watched as the short haired man just shrugged and gave a smile. Looking back at Ziza, she gave a short nod. "Sure, let's go see what your _Uncle's_ have you doing."

Riddick watched as Ziza grabbed Jack's hand and gave him a simple smile as acknowledgement. Eyes following the three out the door, he sat down on the edge of the bed. He would eventually get dressed and join the rest of the group in the kitchen, but for now he had some planning to do. Riddick was thinking palm trees.

After all, every psycho fuck family is entitled to a vacation once in a while.

* * *

"Toby put that down!" Glaring at the lanky man sitting on the counter, Max took away the liquor bottle in his hand. "We're not putting alcohol in the cookies!"

Giving a short pout, Toby stole some of the cookie batter and ate it before Max had the time to chastise him. "It needs some! Besides, it cooks out so only the flavor is left anyway. The kid wants some rum cookies, don't ya Ziza?"

The little girl shrugged at the blonde perched on the countertop and turned to Max. "What's rum?"

Jack sighed as she shook her head at the two adult men. "I swear you two are bad influences." Glancing over at Ziza, the girl was now rolling out the cookie dough and cutting it with something. "Hey Ziza, what are you cutting the dough with?"

Turning around, Ziza faced her older sister with Riddick's shiv in her hand. "It's Mr. Riddick's…but I couldn't find anything else."

Jack's eyes were wide as she glided over and pulled the sharp object from the child's hands. Looking up at Toby, she scoffed as he pointed to Max. "You're supposed to be supervising her! She's over here using Riddick's shiv as a cookie cutter!"

"WHAT?!"

Everyone in the room cringed as Riddick's voice boomed throughout the kitchen. Appearing in the doorway, his eye twitched and fists clenched at the guilty faces of his crewmembers. "_Jack…_"

Looking down at the dough encrusted blade in her hand, Jack hid it behind her back and knew Riddick was about to let out a more than a few colorful words. Moving quickly and taking a hold of Riddick's arm, Jack pulled him away before the rest of the group in the kitchen heard loud "fuck's" "shit's" and "damn's" being thrown around.

Covering Ziza's ears this time, Max shot a glare at a laughing Toby. "You know we're going to get in trouble for this." He looked appalled as his friend let out a small hiccup. Looking over at the bottle he had just set down, Max finally noticed that it was half gone. "Have you been drinking this entire time?"

A pink blush tinted his cheeks as he winked at Max. "Not the _entire_ time."

* * *

Letting out a small gasp, Ziza looked in awe at the approaching planet. Pressing her palms up against the glass window, she smiled at the gold and orange sands of Helion Prime. Turning her head briefly, she flashed a small smile at the large figure behind her. "Thank you, Mr. Riddick."

Not bothering to give her any acknowledgement, Riddick simply watched as she turned back around in excitement. Feeling a hand on the small of his back, his eyes darted sideways through his goggles as if that would enable him to see behind him.

Resting her forehead on the center of Riddick's back, Jack gave a tired sigh. "Just imagine the look on Imam's face when he finds out his daughter has been baking _cookies_ with _mercs_."

Riddick raised an eyebrow at this, "That's all you're worried about?" He wanted to ask why she wasn't worried Imam would have his head for getting both Jack and Ziza involved in the merc shit in the first place. Knowing Jack would be all but willing to talk about it, he held his tongue.

Jack looked over to the pilot's chair, which was currently occupied by Toby, and shook her head at the blonde. "Max is going to have a fit if he sees you with those."

Looking up from the bowl in his hands, Toby mumbled through a mouthful of cookies. Finishing his chewing, he swallowed and donned a mischievous grin. "What the boy doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, I'm just making sure they taste good. The kid wants her dad to be proud of her cookie making skills, right Ziza?"

This earned a big grin from Ziza as she skipped over to where Toby was sitting. "Right, Uncle Toby." Then she opened her mouth so he could slip a sugar cookie in.

"That's a good girl." Toby smirked at Jack who was now openly glaring at him. "What? I'm just _trying_ to be a good uncle."

Jack rolled her eyes just before Riddick tugged at her arm. Moving next to him, she watched him point out the window then moved her eyes to that spot. The buildings were now in view and she couldn't help up grin at her home. "Toby, it's time to land."

Turning in his chair, Toby nodded in confirmation. "Got it, Jack."

Max entered the room with a yawn, rubbing the sleep from his droopy eyes. Noticing how they were no longer surrounded by star dusted darkness, he looked around at the group. "Wow, we're here."

Ignoring the obvious statement from Max, Riddick cracked his knuckles absentmindedly. Dark eyes focusing on Ziza, he relaxed his gaze as she smiled up at him. Head moving so Jack was in his line of sight, Riddick decided he didn't want to spend any more time on New Mecca than necessary. He was still wanted after all. "Jack, patch through to the hangar and ask that they call for an escort by the name of Abu 'Imam' al Walid."

Nodding, Jack knew that Riddick wasn't planning on staying. "Toby, send out a signal." She waited as their new navigator did as instructed, then she proceed to address the hanger and ask for an escort to be called to the 'T' entrance port.

Max looked to Riddick, confusion lacing his features. "Request an escort? Don't we have to get clearance first?"

Not tearing his eyes from the control panel, Toby spoke on behalf of the Iron Giant. "New Mecca is always has tons of traffic in and out of the main hangar. With the shipments for the Bazaar this place is always packed. There's no way to keep clearance records for every ship that comes through."

Max nodded ad stifled a yawn. "Hm, well that makes everything much easier."

Riddick watched the ground get closer and closer, almost missing the depth of space. It had been a while since he had stayed anywhere long, and he wasn't about to start now. Glancing over at Jack, he wondered if she would stay on Helion Prime with the rest of the group. He hoped not.

* * *

Dark eyes peered longingly into the distance, watching the dying sun cast its last rays on the warm planet. Fingers gripped the dirt dusted handle of a metal shovel, and then shifted so they simply rested against it. Toombs stayed silent as the weight of his brother and nephew's deaths set in.

Running a hand over his face, Toombs smeared fresh tears across his cheeks. "Damn, kid. You know, I actually didn't think I'd see you again after we dropped you off. I guess I was kind of worried you would get mixed up in all of this." He let out a short chuckle as he looked to where his brother was now buried.

"Don't even think I'm going to blame myself for any of that crazy shit you started. Damn it, Jeremy. You were supposed to be the smart one." Toombs shook his head, eyes looking past the headstone and into the forest of palm trees ahead of him. "Fuck, I suppose I'm on my own now."

Glancing back down to his deceased family members, Toombs frowned. "I'll finish this once and for all." Pushing the shovel into the soft earth beneath him, Toombs began his walk away from the gravesite and through the trees. "I'll get you Dickhead, if it's the last thing I do."

* * *

The sun reflected off the metal of the ship and Imam shielded it momentarily with the back of his hand. He removed it just in time to see a small figure sprinting toward him. Immediately recognizing the mass of brown curls, he bent down and took the girl into his arms. "Ziza."

Holding onto him as if her life depended on it, Ziza mumbled into the folds of his robe. "I missed you." Finally letting go, her feet touched the ground one by one as he set her down.

Keeping a protective hand on Ziza's shoulder, Imam looked up to see for figures walking down the ramp.

Making sure she was walking slightly faster than everyone else, Jack ignored the dull ache in the side of her stomach. Dog tags swaying as she moved, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Finally reaching Imam, Jack flung her arms around him.

A grin spreading across his face, Imam rubbed the girl's back comfortingly. "There, there my child, you are home."

Pulling away from the man who had taken care of her for four years, Jack looked back to see Riddick behind her. She watched as he nodded to Imam in greeting. Turning back to face the holy man, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Despite your lectures and constant worrying, I'll admit I missed you."

Imam gave a short laugh before his gaze shifted to the two men playing with Ziza. "And who exactly are the two my daughter has become so attached to?"

Jack rolled her eyes at Toby who was carrying Ziza on his shoulders. Extending a finger, she pointed for clarification. "That's Toby, and Max. They're…newly acquired friends."

"Well Mr. Riddick and your friends are welcome to stay with us." Imam watched as Riddick gave and uninterested grunt. Raising an eyebrow to Jack, he waited for her answer.

Jack let the thought pass briefely of staying, but just as quickly sided against it. It had been a long journey with a lot of detours, but they were finally starting to move forward. "Sorry Holyman, but I think they need me right now."

Giving both Toby and Max a final hug, Ziza ran back next to Imam. Looking up at Jack, she wiped slowly at her eyes. "You promise to come back?"

Glancing to Riddick, Jack smiled. Pulling the dog tags from her neck, she slid them over Ziza's head. "Promise."

"Hurry up, you two! We're going to leave without you!" Toby yelled from the ramp, earning a swat at the back of the head from Max.

"We can't leave them!" Max glared at Toby as the man laughed a little and rubbed the back of his head.

Imam looked down to his waving daughter as she yelled her goodbyes to her two supposed uncles. Eyes trailing back up to his adopted daughter, Imam gave a defeated sigh. "Perhaps you would do better being looked after by Mr. Riddick. Just don't expect to only come back every four years, child."

This earned a glare from Riddick and a grin from Jack. Hugging Imam for the last time, Jack gave a quick nod. "Don't worry, we'll keep in touch."

Gazing up with bright, brown eyes, Ziza attached herself firmly to Riddick's leg. "Goodbye Mr. Riddick."

Fighting the urge to shake the girl loose of his leg, Riddick grunted in reply. Upon her letting go, he secretly swore to never have kids.

Grabbing a hold of Riddick's hand, Jack tugged on it lightly. Amber eyes focusing on silver through dark goggles, she let the creases of her mouth turn upward into an excited grin. "Let's go."

The group left with a wave and a smile, each making steps toward the future. They all had something different ahead of them, but they would never be able to forget their past together.

Even if it killed them.

_FIN_


End file.
